Life On Thule
by Becky99
Summary: What if in the first season episode "Deaths Other Dominion" Dr. Rowland does not meet a grizzly end and the Alphans decide to take their chances on Ultima Thule? Could it truly become a paradise or merely a painful, hellish eternity?
1. Chapter 1

**LIFE ON THULE**

_(A "what if" fiction)_

_**Dr. Rowland does not meet with a terrible end and the Alphans make their choice**_

**(1)**

The decision was made. A three quarters majority on Moonbase Alpha, after being presented with the facts, had decided that a move to Ultima Thule was preferable to living on the moon.

Professor Bergman, holding a clipboard and helping to supervise the movement of materials to their new home, rationalized: "Human beings need stability, John. Here on Alpha we could float forever, finding ourselves bouncing between galaxies, trying to find an elusive new home until we finally met our end. Thule is a new beginning." Then, spotting uncertainty on his friend and Commander's serious face, he asked: "Still doubting, Commander?"

The planet was not perfect, as all had been counselled, and their existence would be a challenge. The temperature was frigid, often below zero, and under current conditions men and women would be unable to conceive children. Yet, the people of Earth would become immortal, as the members of the Uranus Expedition had eight hundred years before them, and possibly a cure could be found in the distant future. This would insure their prospects, finding an antidote for the barrenness that had become the bane of Thulian existence. And eventually, they would take those children and reach out to the furthest depths of the universe, spreading immortality and all they had learned through-out the cosmos!

Dr. Cabot Rowland, forever charming and persuasive, explained that the Thulains needed what Alpha had to offer, their numbers, hardware, software, fuel and so much more. Everything they could bring with them from Moonbase Alpha - before the moon sped away to appear nothing more than a pin prick of light in the distance – was salvaged.

And indeed, as Professor Bergman had surmised, Commander Koenig had misgivings. This was not the paradise he had envisioned for his people. He had imagined sunshine and rich farm land, grass and fresh air, babbling brooks and mountains, bird song and color, couples walking hand in hand with their Sons and daughters ... At the least he wished for comfortable ambiance and at the most he wanted four seasons and a future.

However, for the disciplined and rugged and for those of sound mind and level temperament, Thule had its advantages. There was wild-life of a kind for men to hunt, great frost incrusted lands to explore, and a science that - although minimal for now - was impressive. Adding Alpha's computer and know-how to that of the Uranus Expedition's had already done wonders. Food production had increased and, with a stunning velocity, tunnels were being burrowed and investigated for their minerals and to allow for more storage and space. There was much to do and they now had all the time in the world to do it.

They would succeed. Now, they _had_ to.

"More Earth people for Thule!" Rowland had encouraged, "It was meant to happen, my friends! Why else would the gods bring you here to this planet out of all the millions you might have encountered?"

Upon their arrival, the Thulian welcoming committee had brought them all to a roughly hewn area of the underground caves, which brought the Alphans to a large cavern. Rowland had it hollowed and reinforced just for the Alphans' use and told them it was theirs to do with whatever they wished. Their main crystal pit, which warmed the common area, made the coldness at least tolerable. However, it was hardly adequate and the engineers excavated further in, making private quarters out of the stone and ice over the weeks and months to come. With a new measure of energy from their former home, the Alphans had their common area and beyond to live in and, while not as well-appointed as Alpha, its coziness felt like home. Nearly three hundred new Earthings had found a form of paradise, it seemed, and only a few felt sincere regret.

The Alphans worked with and conversed with the Uranus Expedition members often. Commander Koenig could not get passed the thought that these people considered themselves the elite of the planet, despite or perhaps because of their steadfastness and smaller numbers. The Alphans had to remind themselves that they too were now children of the planet Thule and insisted on the same rights as the original faction. The hydroponics experts and technicians joined the Thulian scientists in various underground structures, discussing upgrades and improvements. In many cases their implementation was surprisingly easy.

The pilots, now grounded except for an occasional observational flight during better weather, worked in the hanger area with their stranded Eagles. Some of the crafts were being dismantled and repurposed to eventually create a super-ship that would break free of Ultima Thule and explore beyond their planet. It would take a while. The Thulians had been working on such a project for eight hundred years, after all. Meanwhile, the men became hunters, taught by their hosts how to toss a spear, killing prey, when the subzero cold and crippling snow flurries made their laser weapons useless.

Koenig watched it all happen over the months it took his people to settle in. He resigned himself to making the best out of the result; attempting to find serenity in a situation he still felt discomfort with. His people continued to call him their Commander, taking his orders, despite finding their haven. They were all smart men and women and even John had to admit it was a relief not having to worry about the uncertainty of deep space exploration, the threats to their moonbase and their very lives.

One evening he sat near one of the pits by himself, drinking tea. _'Immortality,'_ John thought. He and his people were already adapting. Few were wearing the heavy furs that were vital during their first weeks on the planet. They continued to dress for warmth but had disregarded the gloves while inside that were once necessary at all times. During the evenings, during the initial frozen nights, most had to have at least three heavy covers and a fur covering them on top and bottom, praying they would not slip into hypothermia despite the hot crystal pits in close proximity. However, most were now down to a simple fur blanket on their beds or two heavy blankets – and also the help of a willing companion.

The Commander had noted an influx of romantic activity between the Alphans. Often, he saw couples slip away to private grottos to engage in clandestine activities. However, the unmistakable sighs and groans behind the curtains could not be disguised or mistaken for anything other than love-making. Koenig could not chastise his people for practicing something that came naturally. On Alpha they had to be careful, particularly those in command positions. There were married couples on the base, of course, but for the most part men and women working together had decided that while being friendly and flirting was allowed, they all had far too much work to do. Their survival depended on sharp minds. Extra-curricular activity, including romance and meaningless sex, often cluttered otherwise clear thinking, they thought. While not prevented, affairs were discouraged unless the couples were serious and marriage minded.

It was this outlook - and a fear - that kept John from discussing and demonstrating affection when it came to his feelings for Dr. Russell. As command figures they, more than others on the moonbase, needed to be cautious. But now … a life together was not at all impractical and more than gratifying in thought.

Sadly, Koenig feared he might have lost her anyway. Helena and Professor Bergman were working very closely with Dr. Rowland and the Commander could not completely ignore or deny the long favorable gazes Rowland passed their CMO. Miserably, John felt this time he was the odd man out and it was no one's fault but his own.

The Commander tried to understand their specialized undertakings. He had deliberately become involved with their strategies; nearly delighting in Helena's pursuit of knowledge, but there were times when Koenig was just unconvinced what they were doing actually mattered. His friends could sense his disdain, particularly when it came to exploring their immortality, and that ultimately caused a rift, both professionally and personally.

Koenig could practically feel Rowland laughing behind his back.

* * *

><p>It was the first time since taking control of Alpha that Commander Koenig genuinely felt he was not connecting with his people, especially those who were his closest friends. To counter this, Cabot Rowland matched Koenig's unenthusiastic responses to their work with an abundance of passion that, although somewhat pretentious, was gratifying and infectious to most who observed him. Koenig did not know how long Rowland could keep up the pretense of an affable independent alliance when, with what he knew about him through Jack Tanner, the man was secretly narcissistic. Yet, it could not be denied that Rowland's surface zeal had not faded.<p>

Perhaps he truly had grown happy with their situation as it was?

Koenig knew what Helena, Victor and many others must be thinking. He, the leader of Alpha, was frustrated and angered that his people could not see what he felt were clear warning signs. It seemed to Koenig that his loyal friends - even Alan Carter and Paul Morrow - had ignored his concerns of a potential catastrophe. Why? The often addle-minded Jack Tanner, the former Uranus Probe Commander and a man Koenig had grown to trust, had been proven ridiculous. He was the victim of a long ago bungled experiment, they knew.

That was, perhaps, all they really comprehended.

Sitting by himself in the common area, Koenig sipped the warm brew in his cup and pondered their decision to leave Alpha. He had agreed to a vote that would seal their fate. Should he have just lowered the boom and said NO, trusting in his instincts? Maybe Jack was right. If he was a real leader he would not have left such a decision to men and women who were itching to be free of the moon and their confinement. They were all rational people but the psychological effects of living on Alpha had taken their toll. If only Victor and Helena could have listen to Tanner when he was coherent and practical. The man made such sense! "No future! No growth!" he had cried, to the scrutiny of the Alphans. To their educated minds, reinforced by Rowland's fervor, there was nothing but time now to build futures and to grow as a people, to make wonderful, miraculous discoveries!

Weeks after they had settled in, Tanner - during one of his more lucid moments - cornered Koenig and asked him if there would be any further care given to the Revered Ones, those who had donated their intellects to science. The Commander had not forgotten those unfortunate mindless creatures but he was conflicted.

"Jack, I'm not certain it's our place to advise on such matters." Koenig had said. Tanner then ranted at him, furious, spewing Shakespearean profanities in his exasperation. John did not mean for his reply to sound cold but they were still newcomers and, quite frankly, if the members of the Uranus Expedition hadn't come up with a fix in eight hundred years what could the Alphans possibly do in the next six months? Calming Tanner, he then said he would have Dr. Mathias, a top psychological expert, consult with their own medical staff when they had settled in. Maybe there was something they could do if their resources were pulled together. That had been weeks ago and although he did mention it to Helena there was so much work to get done the Revered Ones may have slip between the cracks. He would have to go to her again – or Mathias as he promised – and see if there was progress.

A shadow came into view, covering his hands, mug, and heavy tunic. Startled, Koenig looked up from his tea. Commander Tanner stood before him. He had just been thinking of the man! "How are you, Jack? What brings you to this neck of the woods?" Koenig asked, wondering where Tanner's mind was. Sometimes it was difficult to gage.

Tanner crossed his arms in front of him, a hand lifting, and a finger touching the side of his mouth. "I sense there is more to your distraction and uncertainty than that of a new man in an alien world." He appeared slightly amused, noting Koenig's thoughtful manner. "You are uncomfortable with your people's preference?" he asked, nearly mocking.

Koenig remembered something about Tanner having an extra sensory ability. He had obviously picked up that he was thinking of him and their situation. "I wouldn't be me if I did not worry." Koenig admitted.

"Yes." Tanner appeared slightly more serious and seated himself at the table across from Koenig, "You have been here for a while now, Commander. Yet, both Frieda and I notice you and the good Dr. Russell have had barely a moment alone."

Frieda Heller was Tanner's woman – or wife. John could never be certain what they really were together. She was a very clear minded and practical woman but she also had a fire in her if she felt crossed. Frieda was clearly devoted to Jack.

Tanner smiled ever so slightly, cocking his head, when Koenig met his eyes, "Dr. Rowland has an amiable way about him but I am sure his intention is more to _use_ the lady, her skill and intelligence, than love her as the good woman warrants."

_Helena._ Uneasy, Koenig said: "Jack, I think …"

"Then again, he _does_ look at her with a fondness that he seldom shows his own wife."

Koenig was stunned, "Wife? Dr. Rowland is married?"

"He tends to forget." Tanner spoke, glibly.

"But we've never seen her."

"You have." Tanner moved in closer across the table. "She is one of the Revered Ones."

Koenig was appalled, _"His own wife?"_

"Oh, it was quite fascinating to watch back in the day. She was a scientist with a great mind." Tanner recalled, "Cabot showed concern while all the time telling lovely Isobel Ann how courageous she was. He said their experiments – if successful - would enhance our way of living on Thule by leaps and bounds." Tanners expression softened and he looked past Koenig into a world of painful memory, "That was three hundred years ago. Both Frieda and I tried to convince her not to do it and I verbally fought Rowland but, as you know, I barely have a mind of my own … clown price that I am." Tanner then suddenly grabbed Koenig's lower arms as they rested on the table, "Isobel came out _changed, _Commander. She never recovered. Do _not_ allow him to experiment on your people, John. You know he will try. Think of the Professor … _Think of Dr. Russell_."

The notion of Helena, her expression blank and lifeless, her blond hair barely combed and having to be fed like a small child or animal for eternity came to his mind. No. He could never allow her to be at risk. Experiments of this type were reserved for fools and Commanders.

Anxious, Koenig excused himself from Tanner to find her.

* * *

><p>The Commander knew him. The man worked in the kitchens of Moonbase Alpha and did food service on Thule as well. He exited the quarters of a lovely young orderly, pulling at the back of his jerkin then, noticing Koenig, gave his Commander a confident cad-like wink. He then whistled his way back to his own nook. The implication was clear. Slightly disturbed, even if it was none of his business, Koenig continued on the short walk to see Dr. Russell.<p>

He found Helena alone in the area designated her quarters. It was a small hollow, as they all were, just big enough for a bed, table, chair and a few personal items she brought with her from Alpha. It did not seem right that a woman of her pedigree should live in such a small hovel, so unlike her roomy quarters on Alpha, but they had all sacrificed. Koenig's own quarters were not much bigger than hers.

After a polite knock on the stone frame, he parted the curtain and slid in, closing it carefully behind him. Helena was sitting up in her bed, a reading light by her side, furs lying across her legs and lap in a flow of cream and brown. It suddenly occurred to Koenig that it was rather late in the evening. They had supper hours ago. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"Not at all, John." Helena indicated the closed book on her lap, "I'm a little tense and a chapter of Dickens usually gets me to sleep quicker than sedatives or warm milk." She smiled gently and indicated he should pull up a chair and sit beside her where she rested on the bed. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Probably not." He said, pulling his own pelted jacket a bit more firmly over his shoulders as he positioned the chair. It had taken them all a while to get used to their new thicker clothes. "I'm just a little worried about the experimentation you and Victor will be doing in the next few weeks." He sat before her, "I'm sure Dr. Rowland and the other scientists are eager but I really want you to be careful, Helena. You've heard about the Revered Ones. I must have mentioned them to you once or twice."

She had and nodded, understanding. "Cabot tried to keep me from seeing them but I finally pushed past all his excuses and brought Doctors Mathias and Shelby to take a look."

Koenig was surprised. "You did? I was not aware ..." he said.

"John, initially I didn't tell you because there isn't much our medicine can do yet. We observed the afflicted, took vitals and conversed on a few different medical procedures. I'm sure the Uranus Expedition thought they knew what they were doing but they were negligent. In the end, we all agreed there would be no testing of that nature on our own people until we are absolutely certain of the repercussions. Meanwhile, our goal will be - through science and medicine - to search for a cure."

Koenig smiled. Jack and Frieda, at least, would be pleased. "I'm sure Dr. Rowland was delighted to hear that." He could not help the sarcasm in his tone.

Helena nearly laughed as she rolled her eyes, "He wasn't but Cabot poured on the sweet appeal as usual." She added, "That man can be insufferable at times."

For not the first time this evening Koenig was amazed. He thought Dr. Rowland, with his impressive voice and considerable charisma, had thoroughly charmed Helena and now he saw that she was not as taken in as he assumed. John abruptly felt embarrassed for thinking lesser of her. She was not a female to be enchanted or fooled so easily. He should have known better.

She continued, "He _is_ brilliant in his own way, a visionary, but there are times you can see right through him. Dr. Rowland has a way of making men and women think they are coming up with ideas that are actually a reflection of his own wants and desires. We are going to have to be careful around him, John. He's a manipulator. Victor thinks so too."

The Commander's inner child wanted to cry: 'I told you so!' For the first time since arriving on the planet John Koenig found himself relieved and genuinely content. He felt vindicated in a way. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so." he murmured, beaming warmly at her.

There was silence for a moment as they looked into each other's eyes, both noting the reestablishment of their personal connection. They had both felt very lonely and now it seemed a veil was lifting.

Helena raised a hand and placed it on his lower arm. "Was there something else, John?"

He thought a moment of telling Helena about Isobel Rowland, Cabot's broken wife, but thought better of it. If Helena had read the records of the Revered Ones she already knew the woman was among them. As thorough as Helena was John would be disappointed if she had missed that little detail. It occurred to him that Rowland not wanting Helena to become involved with the Revered Ones made sense if he thought to romance her. John might have mentioned that too but decided he was on thin enough ice as it was, personally speaking. Instead, he said: "Helena, we haven't had a good, long talk for quite some time. I miss you. Do you think we could have breakfast tomorrow morning together?"

Helena lowered her eyes for a moment, her expression warm and mellow. "I think we should." She slid her hand down his arm and took one of his hands in both of hers. "Now that we have a permanent home here on Thule I think there are many things you and I need to _discuss_. Perhaps we should start chatting about certain subjects this very evening?" Her fingers caressed his hand.

Warmed by the gently seductive wink she gave him, the softness of her approach, knowing he was not the only one who had thoughts of desire and a future together, the Commander would have liked nothing better than to pounce on the opportunity. However, the memory of the kitchen worker who met the girl for a shallow, throwaway tryst held heavy on his mind. Koenig was of the old school. It stated quite succinctly that a lasting and deeply profound relationship came to those who waited. He could play devil's advocate and say he and Helena had waited long enough but John pushed back the urge. He was in it for keeps and suspected Helena was of the same opinion. Koenig knew of very few people, Jack and Frieda coming to mind, who could hold a relationship together for as long as a thousand years but he wanted that with Helena. He loved her. She was worth the wait.

"Tomorrow?" Helena asked, acknowledging indecision in his expression.

"Yes." John said, now firm and holding both of her hands with his own, enjoying the smoothness of her tender skin. "I would say a very long, quiet, personal discussion is in order - _tomorrow_." He then stood and released her hands, noting a look of disappointment on Helena's face. He rather liked that too. "And we'll start fresh at breakfast." His tone suddenly became deceptively professional. "Afterwards Doctor, I want you to take me to your new lab and update me on what you, Professor Bergman, Dr. Keeler and Dr. Rowland are working on. It's time I become a little more proactive" He straightened and slowly walked to her curtained exit, half hoping Helena would insist he stay. "I am certain it will be very exciting."

"Breakfast or the lab?" Helena tried to prevent herself from chuckling at the obviousness of his words. Yet, she was also pleased he wanted to court her, as antiquated but appealing a concept as it was. She had missed him too. "_Goodnight_, Commander." Helena said with a slight lilt to her tone. She watched as he gave her a half salute and departed, leaving a flutter of curtain behind him.

"At least you could have kissed me goodnight." she murmured, looking solemnly at the exit of her quarters. Then smiling, Helena fluffed her pillow and turned off her bedside lamp.

**_(to be continued ...)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**(2)**

The intimate breakfast Commander Koenig and Dr. Russell envisioned did not quite come about as they hoped. They reserved a small table off near a corner in the common area, just for two, and brought their food with them from the kitchen. Helena had mentioned how tasty and plentiful their selections were on Thule when compared to the rather bland offerings on Moonbase Alpha.

It was a tribute to Thulian mavens who had long ago conquered the method of nutrition and sustenance on their adopted planet and, of course, Alpha's own experts who added their know-how into the mix. Food distribution was done cafeteria style in their fresh surroundings and the prep unit was very proud of their ingenuity. There were four fully qualified dieticians on Alpha, now on Thule, and they were very careful with their research, testing and formulation. They had even managed to eliminate the toxins from animal proteins that caused the Uranus Probe crew to become ill when they, at the outset, attempted to consume what Ultima Thule called "roast beast".

Proudly Erik Braumer, their cook, announced: "A succulent beast is going to be used in a stew during our supper hour this same day. Don't either of you miss out."

The Commander and Dr. Russell told him they were looking forward to it.

Initially, John and Helena spoke quietly and casually with one another at their table. John had even teasingly poked a fork at a piece of fruit on her plate, grown far below in the heated gardens. Their hydroponics experts were more than happy to share what they had accomplished with their Commander and the couple took advantage of their good fortune before wandering into the kitchen. "Authority has its rewards." Koenig commented and was warmed when she placed a hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

The day was starting well.

However, as morning quickly progressed, more Alphans arrived and before they knew it Paul, Sandra and Bob Mathias pulled up chairs near them. A conversation started that interrupted whatever kind of privacy and intimacy the couple had anticipated. John gave Helena an 'I should have known.' look and she nodded.

They would try again later.

Mathias, eating what looked like eggs and sausage, spoke first. "Dr. Russell, have you noticed any out of the ordinary illnesses from our people since we've arrived?"

"Not really." Helena spoke between bites as the others listened. "There were some stress and anxiety reactions, mostly from those who did not want to leave the moonbase, and a great deal of nausea. I contribute the latter to the planet's atmosphere. It's a little thinner than what we had on Alpha and it's taking some time to adapt. But most of those problems cropped up in the first few weeks we came here to live. Since then we've all been fairly healthy." She then looked over at her associate, alarmed. "Why, is there something we should be aware of?"

"Tanya said Fran Switzer and Monica Darzi both have been under the weather lately. I had them come into the lab for blood tests and I'm awaiting results now."

Sandra nodded, swallowing her food and dabbing at her dainty mouth with a napkin. "She mentioned it to me too. They feel unnaturally tired. Tanya and I were wondering if it was anemia."

"No, it's not that." Mathias said, sure of his preliminary exam.

"An alien virus?" Koenig asked lowly, concerned.

"Possibly." Helena answered, "We may be eternal but, as Dr. Keeler has said, it does not prevent us from contracting common ailments or, if having accidents, free us from broken bones and strains." She looked down at her plate, "Even our diet matters. We still need nutrients or we'll grow sluggish." Helena shrugged and smiled, "Despite it all, we are still human beings, emotionally and physically. We need time to heal and acclimatize."

"I was told we will start to mend much faster once we truly adjust to Thule." Morrow commented, looking at the doctors for confirmation. "I just wish we knew how long that will take."

"Why? Planning a long rugged trip, Paul?" Helena teased.

"Much on Thule is still a mystery." Sandra murmured, not looking up from her dish.

Koenig studied her. Although their data analyst was doing well on their new home, he recalled that Sandra was one of the few Alphans who did not want to come to Thule. During an impromptu meeting, upon their return from the planet, Koenig recalled Paul's keenness that it was the best idea for them both; for all of the Alphans. Yet, Sandra remained against the move. Koenig recalled her disappointed and somewhat fearful expression when the vote count was announced. He wondered why she was reluctant and swore, one day, to ask her about it.

Changing the subject slightly, speaking plainly and carefully, Koenig asked: "Is anyone having personal trouble with the Thulians? That is, the Uranus Expedition crew? Have there been any arguments or power struggles? Jealousy?" He had been worried about the transition and, on the surface, could see no skirmishes between his people and their hosts. Still, he anticipated some friction when people of differing minds came together. Koenig suddenly regretted asking when there was no immediate answer. Perhaps _he_ was the only one who anticipated discord and the Commander suddenly wondered if that simply made him jaded.

"No reports from Security, Commander." Morrow finally said, "I think there has been a scuffle here and there but it's been between our own people." Then he added, "However, I do know Alan's been feeling pressure from a Thulian contingent."

"What type of pressure?" Koenig asked.

"He mentioned something about repurposing a few of the Eagles. He can tell you more about it than I, Commander, but I don't think it's a critical matter. Alan's taking care of it."

Koenig was aware of Carter's pet project and thought he might go see him just after lunch to make certain all was as harmonious as Morrow and the others were convinced it was.

"The Thulians have been very friendly." Sandra admitted. "A couple of the women even told some of us they would teach sewing classes if we'd like to learn from them." She laughed gently, "I suppose they aren't too impressed with our fashion sense." Sandra looked down at her own attire. It consisted of a heavy dark dress, down to her ankles, raw-hide boots, and a lighter colored vest. All of the Alphan women wore nearly the same outfit in different variations. It was serviceable but hardly chic. "They may have a point."

Paul chuckled, "None-sense. You're beautiful. I don't need to have other men see you in one of those skimpy numbers." He then leaned over and kissed her gently on the temple.

Koenig inwardly flinched. The affectionate gesture; something Morrow would never have enacted in front of his Commander while on Alpha, was natural and a sign of the times. They truly were home, Koenig thought. These men and women, while still technically his workforce, were now also his neighbors and friends. The hierarchy line was thinning by the day. Koenig would be lying if he said its passing didn't make him feel a little sentimental – and slightly uneasy.

* * *

><p>Koenig kept to his promise and walked with Helena to the lab after breakfast. They were still working on a better equipped medical unit but Dr. Russell smiled somewhat sheepishly when John asked her how it was going. As immortals, a large unit was not essential but there was still the needed for care of some kind. As Helena mentioned during breakfast, there would always be injuries or a mystery ailment. The two sick women still concerned Koenig. He hoped Mathias got their result back quickly.<p>

Helena said, "We have a small wedge-room cut out with a few beds and basic medical equipment but most of our work is in the lab." Her head was slung slightly and she was watching their boots as they walked.

John glanced at her as they moved and slipped a hand into hers.

Helena was trying to hide it but, despite her delight while working with Victor and other scientists and doctors, doing research into their immortality and other projects, he sensed Helena was missing her calling. She was a medical doctor, the healer of men and women. Dr. Russell was a superb surgeon and, he knew, always felt a warm glow when patients came to her, thanking her for the wonderful care she had given them. The research they were doing, while gratifying, was more like experimental science. A subject he was very familiar with from his MIT days. Koenig suddenly wondered if she too wasn't missing their old life on Alpha, the challenges they faced while trying to survive the unknown.

"Ah, John!"

Koenig smiled, recognizing his friend's voice as they entered. He was less pleased when seeing Dr. Rowland, off in a corner inaudibly conferring with Dr. Keeler. Nevertheless, he grinned and grasped Victor's hand and shook it firmly. It had been over a week since they last spoke. Professor Bergman was working hard and, these days, seldom came out of the lab unless it was to eat or sleep. The Commander silently documented a sort of tension in his expression and wondered if the Thulian atmosphere was putting strain on his mechanical heart. He had meant to ask Helena if Victor had a recent check-up or adjustment. They could not be too careful despite an assured outlook and long lives.

"You have come at a wonderful time!" Victor said, elated. He stopped a moment and nodded at Helena, realizing he had not yet greeted her. "All of the digging we have been doing has produced something extraordinary, John." He said, escorting them over to a table where three leafy plants rested. "We found a new mineral and, in conjunction with our botanists, discovered when added to soil it makes plant life grow three times faster than normal."

"That's wonderful, Victor." John said, genuinely pleased. It suddenly came to him that one of the plants, something that might have been leafy lettuce, was larger and greener than the others sitting beside it. His fingers gently stroked the vegetation. "No side effects to the enrichment process?" he asked.

"Not yet. We still have more tests to conduct before we eat what we've developed but so far it's very encouraging, don't you think, John?"

"It really is, Victor." Helena spoke for both of them. She then recalled something else they had been working on together, "Have you heard from the technicians about communication?"

Koenig was aware of this one. They wanted comlock communication through-out the caverns but had not yet figured out how to attain it. Their technicians were working around the clock, had developed a power source through the Thulian crystals, but every experiment conducted was a resounding failure.

"They claim there is nothing to bounce off of but ice." Victor said. "There should be some way around it. After all, we can see outer space on our monitors. Even the Thulians had that ability before we came along." His frustration faded with a shrug, "It will be accomplish in time." He concluded.

"I'm sure." Koenig nodded, kindly. 'Rome wasn't built in a day', he thought.

"Helena ... Doctor Russell …" Rowland turned from his conversation with Dr. Keeler and spotted Koenig. "Ah, Commander!" Rowland's expression brightened further. "You've come down to see how your accomplished experts are getting on without you?"

He spoke with a chuckle but Koenig sensed an insult behind his words. Rowland had never really forgiven Koenig for not accepting Thule with open arms. "Just lending assistance if needed." Koenig said, unruffled. "And from what I've seen, the advancements I've witnessed, your efforts deserve all the praise, support and assistance I can give." He studied the unusually quiet and visually uncertain Rowland for a moment. "I was an astronaut before taking command of Alpha, that's true, but I'm also an astrophysicist." he added.

"The study of stars and outer space. Astronomy." Rowland commented, sounding unsure.

"His expertise includes a rather broad spectrum of talents," Helena said. "not the least of which is chemical analyses." She spoke as she sat at her station, sounding a little miffed that Rowland appeared to be dismissing their Commander's capability. To Koenig she said, "Your training will come in handy, John. I actually have a couple projects where we can use your intellect." Her tone was sincere.

"As do I." Bergman added.

Koenig was not a blushing man but if he was he might have did so right there. Helena and Victor were his friends but their comments were also heartfelt. They would not have said them if they did not mean it.

"Yes, of course." Rowland murmured with less enthusiasm than normal.

Koenig was about to pull up a chair and make a suggestion when they were interrupted.

"Commander!"

All eyes turned to the room's opening where Alan Carter stood, looking somewhat disheveled and frustrated.

"Paul said I'd find you here …" The Australian pilot, the head of his department, moved into the lab. "Look, I'm sorry for the disruption but we have a problem down in the hanger. I've been keeping up on it but now it's reached critical level. I need your help, Commander."

"What's happening, Alan?" Victor asked, concerned and moving to Koenig's side.

"I've been charting a plan to take a few of our Eagles and turn them into land vehicles; something with a heating element to cut through the snow and ice. There are more of us now and local hunting is eventually going to get scarce. We need to branch out, go miles further, to explore and hunt in new land. If we're going to take more than a few days during one of our excursions we can sleep inside and …"

"I gave clearance for it weeks ago." Koenig said, wanting Carter to get to the point, "What's the problem, Alan?"

The pilot ran frustrated fingers through his blond hair. The heavy wrap around his neck shifted slightly as he stood straight, ready to give a report. "A squad of Thulian men came down into the hanger this morning and told me that they are going to have to shut us down. I asked them if you had ordered it and they said no. Commander, they said you had over-stepped your authority by allowing us to salvage the Eagles for this purpose."

Behind the others, Rowland and Dr. Keeler exchanged glances.

"What we do with our Eagles is our business." Koenig said, firmly.

"That's what I told them, Commander, and they said their Thulian ship was all important. I reminded them we had donated a couple of our Eagles just for that reason and they became belligerent. The Captain told me to repurpose the moon buggies. It was crazy." He grumbled, "I told them we couldn't use our buggies out in that smog to hunt. Even with an upgrade and shield they were inadequate. They then laughed like we were idiot children. The Captain told us we did not have the know-how to live on Thule - that everything we've done so far is window dressing - and maybe their completed super-ship, finalized over the hides of our men and Eagles, was what was needed to show us the way." Carter practically seethed as he spoke, "I had to hold back a couple of my mates from slugging those smug bastards."

When it took someone like Alan Carter, a man who was always ready or a good fist fight, to stop a brawl Koenig knew there was definitely trouble. However, it wasn't the near clash itself that concerned him more than the words spoken by the Captain. What did he mean by _window dressing_? "What's the Captain's name?" Koenig turned and looked at Rowland, expression grim.

"Summerlee." He said. Then: "A misunderstanding, Commander. I will have words with our men …"

"Yes, you do that, Dr. Rowland." Koenig knew where he was needed but felt regret. So far he'd been able to show support in the sciences merely by saying so but his inaction was beginning to speak for itself. The Commander, he who was in charge, was needed elsewhere. "Meanwhile, I'll go down there and see if I can get it straightened out from our end." Koenig saw a small badly hidden smirk on Rowland's face and he knew Bergman noted it as well. He turned and looked at Carter, "Go ahead, Alan. I'll be right down."

"Yes, sir." Carter nodded and exited.

Koenig then walked over to Helena as she swiveled to look up at him from her chair. "Sorry, duty calls."

She smiled, "I understand, John."

He was pleased to see she truly did and his tone was warm when he asked, "Dinner tonight?"

"Love to." She spoke kindly, understanding his position. John Koenig was still the leader of more than the medical and science departments. Thule was no different than Alpha in that respect. He was needed everywhere.

Stirred, John leaned down and gently kissed her cheek before leaving. He had recoiled at Morrow showing public signs of affection but here he was doing the same. Truthfully, perhaps it was one particular on-looker that motivated the demonstration. Again, Koenig sensed Dr. Rowland looking at him from behind as he walked from the laboratory - but this time the man was not laughing.

* * *

><p>They took the tunnels and Koenig could immediately feel the temperature drop. With an extra cloak or wrap, the men could work in the hanger with relative comfort during temperate days but the difference was still jarring.<p>

It was a cold and vast structure, positioned above ground, which made sense since it would be difficult to move big machinery around and out to the exterior if they were too far below Thule's surface. What worked on Moonbase Alpha, with its impressive power and technology, did not necessarily work on the ice planet. However thick doors, held firm, could be opened by a five man crank crew. They were placed on the large-mouth opening to the outside, shielding them from wind and the icy chill.

There was also a hot crystal pit, about half the size of the one in the Alphan common room, visible near an angled office area. It had been placed there just in case it became too cold inside the hanger for the Alphans to endure. Koenig suspected it was used often during and just after the big door opened and closed.

As always, Koenig was impressed with the massiveness of it all. Their Eagles were positioned in a row, one right after the other, eight in all. There had been ten and he took in the last two, sitting close to Thule's super-ship, cannibalized for their effort. Koenig tried not to frown, gazing at the large missing chunks of structure and hardware, but there just seemed something evil and arrogant about it. He still remembered Rowland comparing themselves to gods in terms of their craft's use.

With a deep breath, Koenig felt the bitter frost the moment he stepped foot onto the tarmac. Part of him suspected it was from more than the surface temperature. He saw two divisions, the Thulian security men and hanger techs who were off to themselves deep in conversation, and Carter's men, also in a group, appearing put upon and unhappy.

He made a bee-line to Summerlee, a tall and imposing man with salt-pepper hair and a rugged face in need of a shave. Alan and his men followed. "All right. What's it all about?" Koenig asked, voice firm and manner no nonsense.

"Commander, we have been here much longer than you." Summerlee said, "It is the generosity of the Thulian people who gave you and your people a new home. Some of us are feeling a little dismissed and disrespected by the Alphans." He looked pointedly at Carter and his men. "More so here in this hanger than anywhere else."

"You come here and act like you own the place!" said another man behind Summerlee.

Grumbles from both sides ensued.

"Generosity has little to do with it." Koenig said, "It was an even trade, skewed in _your_ favor, I think."

Summerlee dipped his head, slightly dubious. "Because you brought your advanced technology. Something we here on Thule were sorely lacking." He then snorted, "But we made do, Commander. _We made do_."

"Certainly." Koenig answered, wary. "And we're making it possible for that super-ship of yours to get off the ground. Would it have happened had our technology never been implemented?"

Summerlee hesitated. "Eventually."

"When?" Carter asked, "In another eight hundred years?"

Some of Summerlee's men started forward and Koenig moved between them, trouble-shooting as he had when first stepping foot on Moonbase Alpha, hoping to get the Meta Probe launched. That seemed like ancient history now. "We may be taking the foreground in some areas of Thule but we have a good reason. We have more personnel and more to lose if we don't take the initiative. You and your people are established. Nothing we do here will make a damaging difference in your lives – only make it better."

The Thulian men started to murmur between themselves.

Koenig added, "Give us the upper hand for awhile. It will show itself eventually. Maybe one day we Alphans will move away and find a home elsewhere on Ultima Thule. Meanwhile, you and your people will have to be patient."

A hand from behind touched Summerlee's shoulder, "The man has a point there. It won't last forever. And we _will_ take advantage in the long run."

Koenig blinked. The man had pretty much echoed what he had just said but the Commander got a feeling there was a sort of double-speak at work. Did they know something the Alphans did not?

Summerlee nodded, considering. He looked over Koenig's shoulder at Carter. "Okay. We agree to be more open. Let's talk."

* * *

><p>Koenig walked the tunnels alone on his way back to the common area.<p>

They debated for hours, sometimes arguing and other times nodding and agreeing with one another. In the end there was a rather circumspect medium established. Carter and Summerlee shook hands and Koenig exhaled silently in relief. However, there were still questions to be answered and the Commander felt they were being left in the dark about something important he could not quite grasp. It was not just about the balance of power where their Eagles and the hanger were concerned but by other matters that were deep and strangely deceptive.

Or maybe, as Koenig once suspected, he had merely grown mistrustful.

He had expected Dr. Rowland to show up but he never did. He wondered about that but was, in way, relieved. Koenig could hear him now, echoing what had been uttered time and again to the Alphans. 'You have time. You have an eternity to accomplish the impossible.' Then, 'My friends, do not allow this misunderstanding divide us!'

Koenig shook his head back and forth, bemused. He decided he had already thought far too much about Cabot Rowland today.

"John." Helena approached him in the semi dark.

He recognized her voice and the glint of her golden hair. Koenig smiled, thinking it was time for supper. Despite the drama of the day he was looking forward to finally having a moment or two alone with her. He would make a point of suggesting they take their food back to one or the other's quarters.

However, when Helena came closer he saw the urgency in her expression and John grasped her lower arms in worry. He had concerns about leaving her in the lab with Dr. Rowland and suddenly wondered if an advantage had been taken. Considering her all-encompassing work, not to mention the watchful eye of Victor Bergman, he would later see this apprehension as jealousy more than a sincere concern.

"I just heard from Dr. Mathias about Fran and Monica." she said.

"The women he spoke about this morning?" Koenig tensed, "What is it, a virus?"

"No." Helena paused and gulped, anticipating his reaction. "John … they're pregnant."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(to be continued)<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

(3)

He lingered outside her quarters. Koenig could hear the gentle sobs from inside and could only imagine what she must be feeling. His heart ached for her after listening to the berating she received. It was dispensed by those who hadn't a clue regarding the stress Dr. Russell and others were suffering through since their arrival on Ultima Thule. Their home, the paradise they were all looking for, was beginning to show definite signs of deterioration. There was not one Alphan who did not anticipate hard work but this current kink in their lives involved not just the well-being of the Alphans and Thulians but innocents who could not speak for themselves.

On the surface, during the meeting, Helena had been all business. Her expression was firm, talking to patients and specialists professionally, urging all to see sense in the senseless; the unknown. As Chief Medical Officer, however, everything injurious fell on her slender shoulders. While Helena was strong, not easily demonstrative in times of extreme tension, she presently needed some time alone, to let the torment out. "It stops here." Dr. Russell said solemnly, looking up at him, on their way out of the meeting.

Koenig admired, respected and – thinking in terms of a command figure – empathized. There were a dozen other places he could be right now. Victor had sent a message to him after the meeting and asked John to come to the lab when he had a chance. Still, he hovered outside the woman's quarters. Inhaling, making a decision, Koenig parted the corner of her curtain and spoke softly as he entered, "Helena."

She sat near the small table, a cup of cooling tea in view, and held a white cloth in her hand. It was obvious the woman had been in the midst of deep aguish but, at his appearance, she quickly straightened in her chair and dried her eyes with the cloth. "John, I didn't expect you." she whispered, clearing her throat and attempting to shake off the visible gloom.

"Thought I should stop in, see how you are doing after that fiasco this morning."

She looked away from him, struggling to take control of her injured pride. "I made a mess of things. If I had just been a little more careful …" Her head shook back and forth, overwhelmed.

"You cannot be accountable for_ all_ people at _all_ times." He recalled what she had told him more than once on Alpha, repeating it word for word. "Management was demanding on Alpha and the difficulty quadrupled here. Believe me, I know. Monica and Fran need to take responsibility as well, Helena." He sat opposite her at the table and gazed at the woman's miserable expression. "They're trained professionals, so are their partners, and should have gathered their considerable intellects in the running of their personal lives as well. How could they _not_ know their birth control had lapsed? And if they did why did they _not_ tell you – or any of the doctors?"

After Dr. Russell's revelation last night to her Commander it was decided an impromptu meeting would be held the following morning. Alphan representatives and Thulians attended.

The women had been informed hours before about their conditions and were predictably stunned. Called into the meeting, they were full of questions and accusations, primarily directed at Dr. Russell. They felt she should have known something like this could happen.

Helena refused to point a finger but she tried to explain to both Fran and Monica that they had not told her, before they left Alpha, that their birth control mechanisms had expired. Normally, she would have been notified through body monitors, the sensors in their uniforms, and Alpha's impeccable records system. Adjustments would have been made for another six months and the women would carry on without further thought or concern on the matter. On Thule they did not have that luxury. Much of their equipment was scrapped to the bare bones and life support was paramount over everything else. There was no way Dr. Russell could have known who was still protected and who was not, unless she was advised.

"We were told, once on Thule, we could _not _have children!" Fran Switzer exclaimed. "It was part of the orientation. We accepted it as gospel."

"Once we _adapt_. That was also in the orientation." Dr. Mathias, who also attended the meeting, clarified. He lifted his hands when low voices rumbled through the meeting. "Right now, you are both in your first trimester and are healthy. If you want to end the pregnancies …" He cleared his throat slightly, understanding they were approaching very personal territory in mixed company, "Well, that is your option and we can discuss it later but, so far, the unborn appear normal."

They sat at a large round stone slab, not unlike the meeting table in the Commander's office near Main Mission on Alpha. Koenig noted Rowland, Frieda, Tanner and a couple of the Thulian people in attendance exchanging glances with one another. "Is there something we should know?" he asked, looking at Frieda for their best bet at an honest answer.

She sighed and nodded, "We should have told you but did not think about it." She replied with an uncomfortable look on her face, "When we first came to this planet, before we realized our lives would be unending, we also had pregnancies. Four of our women were expecting within the first year, and like yours …" she glanced at the Alphan women, " – all was well. But eventually all four women miscarried. One year later another woman, Dr. Itoa, became pregnant. It was a fluke but she carried the child for six months." Her expression shone definite regret, "However, it too died in the womb."

"How could you _not _tell us something like that?" Commander Koenig demanded, expression firm and unbelieving.

"We forgot." Jack Tanner, lucid and somber, was quick with an answer.

Dr. Rowland picked up the concise explanation and continued, "You must understand – it was _so_ long ago, hundreds of years have passed, and we simply - as Jack stated - _forgot." _He looked directly at Helena,_ "_It was unintentional, Dr. Russell."

"But what happened to us does not necessarily have to happen to you." Frieda suddenly stood, expression nearly imploring as she looked at the two expectant Alphan women. "We were hardly as well equipped or healthy as you. We were a people fighting our way through a frozen alien landscape, scratching at the soil and eating what we could find, freezing daily and nightly; living like animals. We found ourselves praying to God or any other deity that would listen and help us. We were desperate and unprepared. If it wasn't for these caves …" She looked up and about their home.

Tanner spoke as if in a trance, "To parish perchance to dream …" he whispered.

Dr. Rowland said, "Frieda does have a point. " He too looked at Fran and Monica. "You may have perfectly healthy children." He stood, crossing behind Frieda, and rounded the table. Thoughtful but shrewd, he stood between Koenig and Helena. He then placed his large hands on their shoulders as he spoke: "Can you imagine the future they will have? This could be a new evolution for mankind; immortals that can reproduce!"

"As charming as that visionary future is, Dr. Rowland, you cannot even promise us our children will survive!" Monica moaned. An arm crept around her shoulders as David Darzi, Monica's husband, supported his wife.

Accusations flew from both women and some of the Alphans. In turn, the Thulains counter with indictments of their own, telling the Alphans – their attention specifically on Dr. Russell – all they had to do was ask and all pertinent questions could have been and would still be answered to the best of their ability.

_'__Buck passing.'_ Koenig thought and got the impression he was in the middle of a witch hunt, mostly directed at Helena. His voice became louder than others, reminding everyone what is done is done - and they had to move forward. "Is there anything else?"

After some debate, Monica and Fran finally decided to allow their pregnancies to progress. However, there was a firm stipulation. Dr. Mathias, they said, or any doctor _other _than Dr. Russell would oversee the pregnancies. They simply did not trust her. As the mothers of a possible new generation of human children, their bloodlines originating from planet Earth, their proviso was granted.

More than anything said at the meeting it was that moment which wounded Helena deepest. It was a blow to her professionalism and pride. If she had ever doubted her vocation it was at that instant, on a small frozen planet called Ultima Thule. No one else noticed the hurt, her firm expression of experience tightly in place, but Koenig saw it. He could feel his blood pressure rise even as he played mediator. Had they forgotten Dr. Russell's steadfast courage on Alpha, her passion, experience and mettle? Did the women forget how she had birthed little Jackie Crawford and how carefully Helena, all the doctors and nurses she supervised, took care of the baby and its mother?

Teeth clenching, he pulled himself from his musings and looked steadily at Helena now as she sipped tea. "Helena, I …"

"There are other things we need to study, John." Helena interjected, pulling herself together by the second. "If these babies _do_ go full term, if there are no complications, what happens next?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious.

"John, if we really are going to be an immortal people – but able to conceive as Dr. Rowland thinks - how will it affect the children? Not just mentally but physically. Will they remain babies, toddlers or even teens? No one here seems to know when immortality actually transpires. Are we unending now or will it happen next year or the year after? How long will it really take for us to adapt?"

"In your research you haven't been able to make headway on any of this, Helena?"

"Not really. Blood tests tell us nothing. The Uranus Expedition's immortality gives them false-positive readings on every level and no one can explain or comprehend it. And _talking_ with the Thulians is nearly futile. You would think with both Dr. Keeler and Cabot Rowland in our lab we would come to understand their way of life; scientifically at least. Nothing could be further from the truth. The men are enthusiastic but surprisingly closed mouth. They aren't volunteering any information. We have to ask it directly. And when they do tell us something it's inconclusive."

Koenig gathered that from this morning's meeting. He also recalled the tension and fatigue he sensed in Victor yesterday. Professor Bergman was a scientist, but a man able to think outside his parameters of scientific research. He too was being stalemated at every turn. Was there any wonder Victor was stressed and appeared exhausted? The time for politeness was over. Koenig decided it was time for him to be Commander and demand answers.

"The Uranus Expedition members are all intelligent men and women but we can never seem to get straightforward answers." Helena nearly rolled her eyes, "BUT we are reassured on a daily basis we have an eternity to find all the solutions we are looking for. At first that seemed grand. We _wanted_ to find all our own answers but now it's a deterrent – and I think Dr. Rowland knows it." Helena then sighed and looked up at John, defeated. "Having said that, it could be my saving grace."

"I don't understand." Koenig blinked, puzzled.

"I think my medical career, as far as being CMO, is at an end. I will be a researcher, Commander. Perhaps it will be me who develops a method of population control if it truly does turn out we can have children. And, of course, I'll help Bob as much as I can in the medicare, if he and the other doctors need me." She added, "He is clearly better with the medical aspect of our lives now that we are here on Thule. I'll leave him to it."

"Helena …" Koenig could not think of her being anything other than the head of their medical department, here or anywhere. "I respect you as a friend and colleague. You know that. But I'm not going to accept a resignation from you until you've had time to really think about it."

Helena closed her eyes for a moment, considering her options, then opened them and nodded. She was feeling sorry for herself and it was clouding her thinking. She needed a clear head before completely doing away with her primary calling. "All right, John. I will think about it further but, in the end, I need to go where I'm needed – and _wanted_."

He gazed at her, not certain what to say, but wanting so much to assure Helena. Whatever she finally decided he would be there for her.

An inexplicable fear came into Helena's voice when she looked up at him. "John, I'm beginning to wonder if something _is_ going on here we know nothing about."

Koenig sat up straight alerted, feeling a near confirmation of something eerie and troubling that had been nibbling away at his brain for the weeks and months they had been on Thule. However, he was outwardly calm as he asked, "What worries you, Helena?"

"I'm not sure. As difficult as its been, I wanted to believe we are all working to the same end." Helena blinked, "Maybe when I really get into research it will come to me. I just wish we could talk to a Thulian we can get some focused answers from. No double-speak. No evasion. Just answers."

"Trust issues, Helena?" Koenig nearly teased.

Guilty, she nodded and lifted a hand in an 'I give up' representation. "I know you haven't trusted Dr. Rowland or many others since we first met them and, although it took some time, I'm beginning to understand what you've been trying to tell us, John. I should have put better value on your gut instinct."

Koenig pondered it a moment. Sandra had commented about the mystery of Thule as well. Conversations with their pilots last night brought forth a strange feeling of dissatisfaction that had nothing to do with Summerlee's group, the cold, or boredom. Koenig sensed a deeper unhappiness; men realizing a mistake had been made but now they were forced to pay the price of their miscalculation. Many of his people were now having an awakening and Koenig hoped it wasn't too late for them as a thriving people to move forward. They really had no other choice. "I know of two individuals who have been honest with me from the very start. Think I'll go find them …" John stood and felt Helena reach out for him as she also stood.

"Do you have to go right way?" she asked, an exposed tone in her voice.

Koenig was surprised and uncertain how to react. He looked into her moist eyes, the pain there coupled with resolve, and as much as he wanted to stay and comfort Helena he was needed elsewhere. Still, there was a way around that too. "Are they expecting you in the lab this afternoon?" he asked.

"Eventually … I suppose …" she hesitated.

"Would you like to go with me, Helena? Maybe we can find some answers _together_." he offered.

Helena smiled gently, her melancholy clearing. "Yes," she said, "Yes I would, John. But first …"

Koenig was further stunned as he felt her arms slip around his neck. Automatically, he held her and marveled as Helena leaned up and forward and kissed him firmly on the lips. John's arms enfolded her, pressing close, as he got lost in Helena's softness. Passionate kisses rained on cheeks, chins and lips again; emotion and a personal need finally revealed. Still standing, lips parting, the couple merely embraced, eyes closed, drinking in one another's strength. John felt concerned by the possibility of taking advantage of Helena current vulnerability but he was appeased. Helena Russell, he knew, never did anything she did not want to do.

When she finally pulled back, Helena smiled up at John. Fingers slid around his collar to gently wipe away a smudge of lipstick on the corner of his mouth and cheek.

"Feel better?" he asked returning her grin, unable to think what else might be appropriate.

"Much better." Helena murmured. "You?"

"Yes." A hand gently stroked her back, the softness of the fur vest she was wearing. He yearned to feel the supple flesh underneath. "Doctor, I think tonight when we get through our current crisis, when all of the right people have been talked with, when we are firmer on where we stand on Thule - you and I will have supper together in my quarters." He smiled at her warming expression, "And there, we will forget all about Ultima Thule, the cold, scientists, righteously frantic women, babies, and what will or will not happen in our future." He gazed at her a moment longer, "Okay?"

"Affirmative. At least until tomorrow." she whispered. Reluctantly, Helena pulled away from him, entertained and renewed, and nodded slowly. "I think that is a great idea, Commander Koenig."

He took her hand as he pulled the curtain and they walked from the room.

* * *

><p>"Commander!"<p>

They were half way between Alphan sector and the Thulian living areas when they heard the call.

"I need to talk with both of you." David Darzi was one of their best archeologists. He and his crew had tunneled safely through Thule, creating the room for quarters, science, hydroponics and engineering. He and Monica had married three years before they were accepted as a working team on Moonbase Alpha. She was a designer and structural engineer. They had lived a happy if childless life together on the moon, responsible for many shaft designs and excavations near the moonbase. Then, when they were mere weeks away from going back to Earth, perhaps to finally start a family, disaster struck and the moon was thrust away. David was a tall and deceptively lean man with a ruddy complexion and mellow dark eyes. "It's about the meeting."

Koenig pulled Helena a little behind him, expecting trouble, but was surprised when the man lifted a hand to shake his Commander's and gazed down at his boots. It was a respectful gesture, befitting his Indian heritage.

"Monica and I talked after." He said and looked over at Helena. "Doctor, we are so sorry about our outbursts. It was unfair. My wife and I were just caught off guard and were trying to lay the blame somewhere. We know that this whole situation has not been easy for either of you." His expression brightened slightly, including Koenig in the estimation. "But we're now anxious to have this child. It truly _is_ a miracle!"

"Thank you, David." Helena took his hand and squeezed it. She wondered if subconsciously the couple had purposely disregarded birth control when coming to Thule, hoping for this outcome. "You will make lovely parents." She elected not to add, '_If_ Monica can carry the baby full term.' out of reverence.

There was no talk about Helena becoming Monica's doctor, which made both John and Helena understand that Monica and probably Fran might not be as forgiving as David. However, it was a gentlemanly thing to do. Harmony in a group as small as theirs was important.

Darzi excused himself and the couple continued onward.

"Bob told me that Fran declined to say who the father of her child is." Helena mentioned as they walked.

"She's being ridiculous." Koenig commented, voice flat and firm.

Helena studied him for a moment, "I suppose she doesn't have to say but if there were ever an emergency we would need to know for medical reasons. And, of course, as the years progress there is also a question of inbreeding. We have to be careful there as well."

"And declining to tell a child who its father is or a father that he's expecting a child – it's just damn rude."

Helena's eyes widened as she looked up at him. She wasn't certain if it was merely the urgency of their getting to the Thulian caves that was making him brusque or if John was carrying an odd, personal grudge she knew nothing about. He appeared more inflexible than she had ever seen him on a subject. Curious, Helena wondered if there was something personal in his past that made him sensitive to the issue.

They finally came to the caves of the Revered Ones, anticipating Jack and Frieda would be close.

"John." Helena pulled gently on his heavy sleeve and indicated where Frieda sat, murmuring quietly, feeding a dark haired blank-expression woman with a spoon.

He nodded and they walked over to speak with her.

* * *

><p>Victor Bergman looked from the monitor to Dr. Keeler then back again. "I can't believe it." He said. "It's not possible." But then he shook his head, bemused. Considering all they had been through, a black sun, parallel worlds, good and evil alien visitation, and even a breathable atmosphere having briefly visited their moon, this of all things probably should not be so implausible.<p>

"He would not be very happy if he knew I showed you this." The doctor whispered. "But there are some things you simply must know … and there is more. It's a verbal message, Professor."

As Professor Bergman listened his eyes grew wide and a nearly delighted and awed expression crossed his kind features, "I need to let the Commander know about this right away. We have to prepare …"

Dr. Keeler suddenly pitched forward, his mouth opened wide in a near cry, and he fell to the floor.

Victor quickly twisted around and saw Thule's head of security - Summerlee - a stun gun in his hand. The beam struck him directly where his mechanical heart was positioned.

"I _am_ sorry, Professor." he said with a fatigued sincerity.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued ...<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

**(4)**

They recognized the frosty chill which was more prevalent on the Uranus Expedition side of their accommodations. The Probe crew, of course, had far longer a period of time to acclimatize themselves to the planet's surface temperature. Therefore they did not need the penetrating warmth the Alphans still required.

John and Helena pulled their cloaks a little more firmly over their shoulders as they walked.

It always amazed the Commander how their existence, since leaving Earth orbit, could run the gambit from fearful and suspicious to courageous and eventual calm. And, while in deep space, these emotions (and conditions) could occur all in a twenty four hour period of time. Koenig thought when they finally found a home, no matter the atmospheric disorder; his people would hold dear a sort of security and stability. Certainly there would be a lot of work, no one was denying that was not an option, as a matter of fact they'd relish it as a stepping stone to their future. Yet, Koenig was uneasy and had been since they landed and the decision was made to call Ultima Thule home.

Still, there were moments of satisfaction and affection. John was proud to call Jack Tanner and Frieda his friends. Helena liked them too, after an initial uncertainty where Tanner's mental stability was concerned. Finally, she had seen him at his best, talking calmly and rationally, before he once again took a flight of fancy.

"Tell them! Tell them, dear girl, what foul demon haunts our conscience!" Tanner cried, hiding behind Frieda and peering over her shoulder at their guests.

They were away from the Revered Ones now after helping the couple feed and wash them. It didn't take long with all four assisting and when Frieda learned Koenig was in need of answers to serious questions she acquiesced. The woman told him that she and a few others were preparing to come to the Alphans, to tell them of their own misgivings on an on-going suspicion.

The men and women were in a room, a small eddy cut out of stone with a table and chair. Frieda brought them a warm drink and indicated some electronic equipment salvaged from the Uranus Expedition's ship. On a monitor they could see outer space and, in the distance, a small fluctuating pin point.

"It's a meteor." Freida said. "Rather large from what we can see. Our scientists are monitoring it."

"Are we in danger?" Helena asked.

"No. It will pass us." She assured. "We see them occasionally. A long time ago one hit miles away but the damage was minimal." Then, settling in, Frieda inhaled and changed the subject faintly, "Our craft, as we were head toward Uranus, was hit by a slice of meteor we exploded with our lasers. We now know it was this incident that sent us hurling through the outer reaches of the galaxy. We heard a few reports from Earth before communications stopped." She looked at Koenig, "Do you recall it, Commander? We had a huge ship and an ambitious assignment. None of us truly knew the extent of what we were being asked to do back then. Not even Jack."

"T'was a fool's task." He commented sagely, head bobbing at Koenig's inquisitive expression. "So secretive."

Helena said, "I recall my husband telling me at the time that the confidentiality behind the mission was so deep that even he, with his top secret clearance, was unable to gain access. He was going on his own expedition to Jupiter and had hoped to learn …" she faded off, her expression suddenly pained and revealing a little more than she might have liked in mixed company. She caught Koenig's eye then continued, "But I remember being surprised by the type of people that were being sent on your expedition."

"Yes." Frieda understood what she was leading to. "We were all single with no family. _Or_ the mission consisted of married couples with no children – nothing to hold them back." Frieda sipped from her cup, "Part of me believes Space Commission always knew we would not return. Picking the men and women they did, as competent as we were, prevented them from having to answer hard questions from hysterical families should something go wrong ..." She then shook her head in a negative gesture, "Still, that wouldn't make sense. Why commence with an expensive mission that had no hope of return?"

Koenig recalled thinking the same thing back then from his post in Mission Control. He hadn't been there long but the preparation was sizable.

Frieda shrugged. "Anyway, there were sixty five of us on the Probe. When we went out of control and eventually crash landed here, we quickly lost sixteen of our people; ten from the crash and six later from injury and illness. And then, over the years, we lost nine more to experimentation." She indicated the area where the Revered Ones wandered.

'Death on Thule.' Koenig thought and glanced at Helena. He then turned again and looked at Tanner, "When did you know you were immortal?"

"Not for a lifetime." He mused, "Although we knew something was different." Tanner spoke clearly, sounding much like the brave and astute Commander he must have been during the expedition. "We suddenly realized we were not aging. And other things …" he trailed off, thoughtful or a moment. "We go on. We watch and try to learn and use what resources we can to that end."

"What have you learned, Commander Tanner?" Helena asked, watching him steadily.

Tanner looked from her to Koenig then to Frieda who nodded.

She said, "We suspect that you have been brought here under false pretenses, Doctor."

Koenig felt a familiar prickle to the back of his scalp. "What pretense?"

"We have been studying Ultima Thule for hundreds of years. We have recently been looking at ourselves and you Alphans concurrently. There are some anomalies that are questionable. You have been here for seventeen weeks; four months and a week. By this time our own people noticed a lack of appetite. We could kill a single roast beast, make it into a stew and it would feed us all for a week. As long as we keep hydrated we remain healthy. At the time we thought our stomachs had shrunk but in reality we were already changing." She met Koenig's eyes, "Your people still eat normally enough, enjoying variety unlike we do, and savor tastes."

"That could mean anything. Our cooks are exceptional. On Alpha they worked miracles with limited resources." Koenig said.

"Yes, but there are other things." Frieda continued, patiently. "You still have other sensibilities; including touch and smell. These senses were vastly altered during our first few months on Thule. We knew we were transforming in some strange way. We could _feel_ it even if we did not know what it was. Can your own people say the same thing?"

"We still feel the cold although not as severely as we once did." Helena rubbed her hands together, "But we can certainly feel the difference." Again, John and Helena looked at one another. They were of the same mind and now knew exactly what it was Frieda and Jack was trying to say. "We are _not _becoming immortal, are we?" Helena asked but it sounded more like a statement.

"We do not know this for certain." Frieda was quick to say, "But I've seen recent samples of various blood works from your people. Dr. Keeler, who is working with us, passed them my way for testing last week. They're normal. When we ran our labs, even as early as two months on Thule, we saw strange alterations. It was as if our blood was converting so we could quickly adapt to our surroundings; much quicker than what is natural. We did not understand it then but accepted it because it was vital to our survival."

Helena caught on, "And that's why you were so eager to make Monica and Fran see the up-side of their pregnancies."

Jack said, "You may not live forever but your progeny, those who follow, will. You can be Earth's future on Thule where we of the Uranus Probe never could."

_'No immortality.'_ Koenig thought. Was it a blessing or just another in a long line of deceptions? "What I want to know is_ why_ it is different for us. Why are your people undying but we are not? After all, we are made of the same stuff."

"Thule was dead except for its odd beasts and unusual plant-life – so it _chose_ us." Jack spoke, tone clear and exact. "Yes, we think the planet, having a mind of its own, decided the Uranus Expedition was deserving of life everlasting – even if it is an eternal frozen hell." He added, "A curse."

"But again, Commander …" Frieda reminded, "We _could_ be wrong. All of our tests are inconclusive. This is why we waited to tell you of our suspicions."

"Does Dr. Rowland know?" he asked.

Frieda shrugged, "No one told him. However, Cabot Rowland often does not _have_ to be told."

On Earth immortality was fantasy, something to be read in old literature and whispered about behind the closed doors of tête-à-têtes disguised as methodical meetings.

Koenig would not tell his people yet, not until they learned more – or could be sure.

* * *

><p>The couple returned to Alpha sector and considered what they were told.<p>

"I want to believe Dr. Rowland is holding out on us. I just don't trust him." Koenig confessed in a low voice as they walked.

Helena reminded, "Frieda was quick to tell us they might be wrong about our mortality. It's all supposition. We may very well still become eternal but it's taking longer."

Koenig sighed, "I'm not so certain I would be upset if I discovered we_ will_ remain finite."

Disappointed, Helena never the less nodded her support. All of the incredible things they could have accomplished if they had forever to live now seemed like a dream – perhaps one to be achieved by their children or children's children. Still, immortality was a great mystery, one the Uranus Probe was granted even if they too did not understand it, and Helena could not help feeling frustrated. "I'm going to look into it further, John. Do some comparisons and see if, with our equipment, we might find something a bit more concrete. I may ask Frieda to come in and help Victor and myself. "

"She's a bright woman. That's a good idea."

Helena smiled and side glanced at him, "You admire her a great deal, don't you?"

"She's honest." He nodded, "And that's an attractive quality in any man or woman." Then, allowing his own smile he inserted, "I suppose I've always had a fondness for scientists and doctors."

Before they knew it the couple was standing in the semi-darkened chamber where their personal quarters awaited. It was still early evening. No one was about, probably eating their supper, and it was quite private in the hallway. John and Helena were quiet for a moment, standing close and, suddenly distracted, thinking about earlier in the day, the promises they made for a quiet evening together.

"Umh, I can always look into it tomorrow, John." Helena whispered, not quite looking at him. "What's one more night?"

He nodded slowly, smiling ever so slightly, gazing at the perfection of her fair forehead and cheekbones.

"Why don't you go to the kitchen and get our supper." Helena continued, "I need to freshen up a bit and I'll meet you in your quarters in – oh – an hour?"

Again, John gazed at her steadily and nodded.

"Later then." She gently cleared her throat.

He watched her turn and leave.

* * *

><p>Her expression was firm, as professional as anyone had ever seen her in Medical Center back on Moonbase Alpha. She checked her new patient's pupils and pulse then looked over at John Koenig as he entered, appearing stunned and worried.<p>

Helena had just dried her hair after having taken a shower in the women's locker room near station six. The men's showers were not that far away and more than once Helena had felt a blush come to her cheeks when hearing some of the salacious commentary echoing off the walls from inside.

She supposed it was a silly feminine consideration but Helena wanted to be clean and refreshed for the romantic meal she and John were sharing; the passion and, of course, the sleep over. It had been a long time since she'd been with a man and Helena wanted to get it right. After all, this would be what he remembered most when – years later – John recalled their first love-making. And, fate willing, they would be together for a long time. She was counting on it and was aware that John wanted a long involvement as well. Helena wondered if John was feeling some of the same nervous twinges but supposed it was different for a man. He probably believed, and rightly so, that she would be pleased with whatever effort he put forth under their limited circumstances. Still, she hoped he also was making a stab at something special.

But then she had been stopped by an orderly while walking back to her quarters. He quickly told Dr. Russell that Professor Bergman was in the Medicare and she was needed there immediately. Helena didn't wait for further explanation but told him to find the Commander and send him over straightaway.

Victor Bergman lay in his bed in their medical unit, eyes shut and breathing with the help of a portable respirator. His arms lay lax by his sides and if Koenig hadn't been assured that he still lived, that his monitor blipped with the news of his livelihood, he would believe his best friend had left them.

"He was found on the floor in the science lab." Dr. Mathias said, explaining to the Commander what he already told Dr. Russell. "It appears his heart briefly stopped and he fainted."

"He was under so much stress." Helena commented, struggling to remain the qualified physician everyone knew her to be. Her back was to Koenig and she appreciated his closeness. Helena bent slightly at the waist and laid a hand against Victor's cheek. Her voice cracked ever so slightly, "He should never have been left alone."

Victor was in a coma and Helena suspected something like this might one day happen. He continued to reassure her, almost in fatherly fashion, that he was well while they worked together but the evidence before her eyes was indisputable.

"Do we know how long he was out before he was found?" Koenig asked.

"I don't think it was too long." Mathias said, "His mechanical heart either saved his life or it was the reason for his collapse." He checked his monitor, "All things considered it _is_ currently working well. But there is something curious …" Mathias reached forward and, near his chest, he folded open a portion of Victor's pajama top.

"It looks like a rash." Koenig commented, noting an odd external redness.

"Or burn." Helena's eyes narrowed. She then turned and looked at him, expression slightly haunted, "From chemicals?" she wondered.

Koenig paused, looking briefly at the despairing Helena, who he supposed was blaming herself, and then once again looked to Dr. Mathias. "Bob, will he survive?"

"Our answer will come in the next twenty four to forty eight hours." he replied.

* * *

><p>The lights in the hall were dimmed low, as they always were during late nights on Ultima Thule. If nothing else worked in their little world it was the automatic timer that simulated night and day outside their bedrooms and in the common area. By five thirty in the AM they would start to brighten and, as always, by noon the lights would be at their brightest.<p>

In the Commander's quarters it was dark and only the small night-light, near his coffeepot at the far end of the room, shown any illumination. This was not the way he had planned it and after he left Helena in the Medicare, a mutual decision to start their evening together at another time, he came back to his quarters. He looked at the table, with the lace cloth he had borrowed from Sandra and the pink glowing crystals, as a centerpiece, simulating romantic candle-light. They had burned-out over an hour ago. By now, he thought, if all had gone well Helena and he would be in the midst of passion …

In bed, pulling the fur cover up to his chin, the Commander felt lonely and sad. He was a man without love and, for the moment, also friendless.

What would he or any of them do if Victor died? Koenig depended on him for so much, a good word and advice. Also, it was inconceivable that Victor's great intellect could simply be no more, merely at the whim of the gods. John stretched, knowing his thoughts were muddled and over-dramatic. Yet, he could not get over the impression that recent decisions were cause for punishment. Could it be that whatever mystical force that had guided them through their journey now felt the need to punish its errant children?

His meditation stopped when he heard a soft tap then the gentle roll of his quarter's sliding door. His was one of the few rooms that did not separate itself from the outside with a mere curtain. His quarters were also a bit away from the others and slightly larger. It also had a heavily panned window, not that he could see anything but snow and ice. As Commander, he was told, it was his right. Koenig did not ask for special treatment but he did not chastise the engineers when the room was presented to him.

Lying back, unmoving, John saw the soft outline of her shadow. He then heard the click of the door closing and the rustle of her clothes as she walked toward him. No words were spoken but he caught the scent of her hair, the same fragrance he noted in the Medicare. It left no doubt who was crawling into bed beside him. She wore a light but warm sleeping gown and snuggled close to him, an arm rested on his chest. Soft fingers reached up to touch his neck and cheek.

"Helena."

"Sh." She breathed out. Then: "Just hold me …. Hold me, John."

He did and both fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>TO BE CONTINUED ...<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

(5)

Since the moment they came to Ultima Thule, all his suspicions and personal opinions aside, John Koenig never felt physically warm. It made sense. After all, the planet was a ball of ice. But inside the caves, with their heated crystal pits and an adequate circulation system, the Alphans and Thulians still managed an ambient comfort that was sufficient. Perhaps more-so in Alpha sector since the Thulians were acclimated.

But no, it was never truly warm.

Yet this morning in bed, sharing the body heat of another human being, he was relaxed, cozy and – yes – truly warm for the first time since living on this world. Koenig reflected on his earlier observation that couples were spending a great deal of, perhaps too much, time with one another in the personal confines of their quarters; more than he ever noticed on Moonbase Alpha. He had to amend that summation. His people were procuring heat and pleasure wherever they could find it. There was nothing wrong with that, Koenig considered with a lazy smile, as long as it was with the right partner.

The Commander's eyes flickered open and he saw blond hair – and he smelled something his bleary mind could only describe as _pretty_. They had both turned over in their sleep and were now engaged in spooning, one of his arms resting across both of their pillows and the other arm and hand lying on her hip, fingers gently touching her lower belly through the blue night dress she wore. His hand arose, sliding gently over her hip and up her soft bare arm, to touch her smooth unblemished shoulder. The thick strap of her nightdress he found annoying but did not dare push it aside while she was still sleeping_. It wouldn't be right …_

And as if she had read his mind and did not want to disappoint, Helena pressed herself out of sleep and repositioned. Now on her back beside him, she looked up at John. "Hello." she whispered, sleepily.

"Good morning." He replied. John reached to touch her fair hair, once again admiring its softness. In the mellow light of early morning she was delicately beautiful and very tempting. "Sleep well?"

In response, Helena reached up with slender fingers and drew an affectionate line across his firm jaw. His chin was smooth and that made her realize John must have shaved last evening, before they were called to the Medicare, in anticipation of their night together. She smiled to herself. He really had thought ahead and she felt moved by his courtesy. "Come here." she whispered.

He leaned down and their lips met sweetly for two faultless kisses. Then, when he felt her hand on the back of his head, urging him onward, John held her in his arms, savoring her warmth and suppleness, and kissed Helena intensely. He was spurred on when one of her silky legs lifted and rubbed gently against his own underneath their fur covering, "Helena." John nearly growled under his breath, feeling her fingers move up and underneath his tunic.

Her soft chuckle of acquiescence was sweet music to his ears.

Then, as he kissed her neck, a knock emanated from the door of his quarters.

"Commander!" came a call.

Both of the figures in the bed stiffened, nearly like young adults who had been caught doing something they should not.

"Commander, it's important." came the call again.

"Damn." Koenig slumped, his forehead touching her shoulder. "It's always important." he muttered. Koenig lifted his head, frustrated, and called: "Just a minute." He rolled off of Helena and the bed then slipped into his fur boots. He then put on his thicker long cloak, just in case any evidence of his arousal might be detected. John backward glanced at Helena who was snuggling, nearly amused, into the soft mattress. Taking a short inward breath and exhale, Koenig lifted the latch and pulled the door halfway open. It was Dr. Walters, a first year associated Helena had been coaching on Alpha, "Yes?" Koenig asked, not too kindly.

"Sorry to disturb your sleep, Commander. But I thought you would want to know that Professor Bergman awoke this morning for a few minutes. He's out of the coma."

Koenig nodded, pleased despite the interruption. "Good. Thank you."

"Commander, we are trying to notify Dr. Russell as well but cannot find her …"

"I know where Dr. Russell is and I'll alert her. Tell Dr. Mathias we will both come to the Medicare later this morning."

"Yes, sir."

Koenig closed the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Helena slipping on her fur boots and the pelt she wore the evening before, when she entered his quarters. She had laid it at the foot of his bed.

"This is wonderful news, John." she said, clearly content.

"I was worried we were going to lose him." Koenig moved a little further into the room, watching her.

"From the sound of it Victor is still not entirely out of the woods but this is certainly encouraging." She looked up into his eyes as he stood before her, "I'm going to my room to wash up and get dressed." She watched as John looked a little away from her, disheartened but accepting.

"Yeah, me too. Victor's waiting." He acknowledged, appearing gratified but also disappointed.

Helena smiled, reaching up with both hands, and placed them on his shoulders. She felt him hold her, somewhat reticent. "Our time will come, John. And when it does it will be … perfection."

"I know." He replied, slightly more cheerful.

* * *

><p>Paul Morrow, David Kano and technician Rex Donovan, appropriately clothed in huge fur coats and dense cloths over their mouths and noses, followed the two lighter clad Thulians through the wind and snow to Station Three. The tower had fallen two days previously, the victim of an inordinately huge frost and wind storm that moved in with a force even the Uranus Probe members found extraordinary. The Alphans hoped that by up-righting the structure and upgrading its sensors they might not just have a better view of outer space but also finally manage comlock communication through-out the lower caves.<p>

"God, I hate this." Kano muttered as they walked. The distance was not far enough from their home to require an Eagle but was an uncomfortable but tolerable journey on the surface of the planet by foot. He clapped his gloved hands together, "I accepted a commission on Moonbase Alpha to get out of the heat in my home country but that does not mean I wanted to become an icicle here on Thule."

Morrow and Donovan chuckled but nodded their agreement.

"Over here!" Graceson called from ahead, waving his lantern through the smog.

The tower was light and flexible, allowing the wind to bend it but not break. It was braced between large boulders.

"Here it is." Morrow examined the damage, "Looks like the couplings are sheered. The wind must have been too much and snapped its brackets."

"That's Thule for you." Graceson acknowledged.

Somewhat shielded from the weather in their current location, Donovan and the other Thulian, Slater, attached a heavy duty sensor, locked it in a box and attached it to the tower. The men then preceded to upright the mast, weather conditions causing it to wobble beneath their hands before it steadied. They attached it to the stones with a laser drill and heavier brackets.

"That should hold it." Graceson confirmed.

Kano tapped through his hand-held keypad. "It's working!" he announced, watching a red blip bounce up and down on the small monitor.

"Fine." Morrow said, teeth chattering ever so slightly. "Let's hope it will do the same inside the caves and we can actually get a communication grid going."

Donovan said, "Will also be nice to look deeper into space than the half a million miles the Thulian equipment will allow."

Graceson and Slater looked at one another and shrugged. Their people had gotten along for eight hundred years with the equipment they secured from their craft and did not see the need to look further out. Yet, if one day they hoped to break free of Thule, as Dr. Rowland insisted, perhaps the Alphans knew what they were doing.

Another sweep of wind and snow blew through and even with the boulders shielding them and their heavy clothing protecting already chapped skin, the men were tossed and nearly immobilized.

"My nose hairs are frozen!" Donovan howled with nervous humor.

Slater said, "We better get back. If we're stuck out here when the sun goes down we might have to spend the night. Want to build an igloo?"

"We do _not _want to do that." Kano retorted and they followed the men back to the caves.

* * *

><p>Victor Bergman did not look like a man who appeared near death's door three days previously. As a matter of fact, his color had returned and, besides being substantially frail, he told the others he was ready and anxious to go back to his lab.<p>

"No." Koenig said with little room for negotiation.

"Oh, honestly, John." Victor exclaimed, "I'm as healthy as a …"

"The Commander is right, Professor." Mathias interrupted, looking at a clipboard with Bergman's readings, "You have made a remarkable recovery and your cardio evaluation is impressive. However, your blood sugar is still low and your blood pressure is too high – and you're physically weak. We need to get everything under control, adjust your medications, and …"

Helena approached, "In other words, you are not going anywhere until further notice."

"My work …" Bergman began.

"I know how important it is to you Victor." Koenig conceded.

The Professor suddenly looked like a little boy who was told he would never get to play with his puppy again.

Helena smiled gently, "We want you to stay still, Victor, and rest." She relented slightly, "How about if I go to the lab, bring back some of your readings and maybe you can, with pencil and paper, go through your last calculations. Would that make you happy?"

Victor laced his fingers together and laid hands on his stomach, "I will agree, Helena, but only if you can also give me an aid that will run my figures over to the lab's computer when they are completed."

"It's up to the Commander." She advised.

John chuckled when he got an 'okay' nod from Helena. "Agreed. But you are hopeless, my friend." His expression clouded slightly and he changed the subject. "Victor do you remember _anything_ else from that night?"

Professor Bergman's smile faded slightly, "No. It's as I told you, John. I recall working and I could have sworn someone else was with me. We found something interesting … I think. But after that my memory blanks. I woke up here in the Medicare."

"And you cannot remember who was with you?" Helena asked.

"No." he sighed, "I was told I was found alone so maybe I'm wrong. Have to admit it is all very hazy in my mind."

A sound was heard near the entrance of the Medicare, as if someone was scrapping something heavy against the outside wall.

"Oh, please help me …" A sob came from the double doors. Both hands on her stomach, a pale Fran Switzer wavered and approached. She whimpered feebly just before she fell, to be caught by Commander Koenig.

"Here, John!" Helena called, indicating a bed on the other side of the room.

"It hurts!" Fran cried again, attempting a fetal position but was held by Koenig and an intern as Helena examined the woman.

"She's hemorrhaging." Helena exclaimed, expression grim.

"My baby!"

"Put her out." Helena told the intern and watched as he quickly reached for a mask to place over Fran's face. Dr. Russell continued the examination as she drifted off. "We need to go in – and quickly." Helena called to Mathias who was still with Victor, "Bob prep for surgery."

"Helena, are you …?"

"No." she glanced up at John, "Dr. Mathias will proceed. Remember, I'm not allowed to touch either Fran or Monica. It was their proviso." Helena spoke with no hint of anger or reprisal. She was not a woman or doctor who would hold back personal care if she had any other choice. Unfortunately, she was also bound by a limitation. When she noticed John and the intern exchanging glances, Helena added: "But I _will_ be on the other side of the curtain, suited up, counseling and ready to work if Bob needs me."

* * *

><p>He worked while he waited.<p>

In the crowded common area the first shift of Alphans were sitting down for their afternoon meal. Koenig, between bites of a sandwich, was speaking with Pamela Rose. She was one of their best operatives, now in charge of supply and demand on a human scale. They were exchanging paperwork as they ate, Pam concerned about their lack of overnight staff in sector seven and security.

Paul Morrow, spotting them, approached their table. He was grinning from ear to ear, something he did not often do during the best of circumstances, and had something in his hands. "Commander."

"Does that Mona Lisa smile mean what I think it does?" Koenig asked, looking up at his Controller.

"Yes, sir." He handed it over, "We have comlocks."

Others heard what Morrow said and a whoop of excitement was heard through-out the lunchroom.

"Excellent." Pam said, "No more running about trying to find a workmate when they are needed straightaway."

Koenig stood. His first instinct was to hook the device on his belt but he suddenly realized, feeling somewhat foolish, he had no belt to hook the comlock onto. They would have to work something else out later. He stood and announced to the on-lookers: "Circulation will commence when we get enough comlocks programed. Meanwhile, be patient. You turn will come."

He watched as his people nodded thankfully and went back to their meals. "What about composts, Paul? I know we don't need many but there should be a few. It would be especially helpful in the hanger."

"That's a tough one, Commander. It's enclosed but on the surface. You would think that would make the signal stronger but it's also the area closest to the elements. We still get static."

Koenig nodded and gently slapped him on the shoulder, "You and David work on it."

* * *

><p>"She's going to be okay." Helena told him, withdrawing from the operating theater. She pulled the mask from her face and slipped off rubber gloves, accepting the comlock Koenig placed into her hand. They now stood in the Medicare. Victor was asleep, a tray table of paper readouts over his lap, and Fran was being taken from a gurney and laid comfortably on her own bed.<p>

"The baby?"

"Fine. But that was close, John." Helena had not intended to help with the surgery, as the proviso demanded, but Mathias called for her. Halfway through the procedure matters took a turn and Bob admitted he was in over his head. He needed her aid. Fran was bleeding-out and he had marginal experience with pregnant women in bodily distress. Conscientious, Helena was around the curtain in seconds and between the two of them, a nurse, and a nervous Dr. Walters, they saved both the woman and her unborn baby.

"What caused it?"

"There was a deep perforation in the uterine wall. Not sure how it got there but it's clean and stitched. She's going to stay in bed for a week while she heals and when she does go back to Hydroponics Fran's work-load will be cut in half or more– at least until the baby is born. We can't be too careful."

"No we can't." Koenig was thoughtful, "Seems like a very mortal thing to have happened." he mused.

Helena was not certain what he meant until she recalled their talk with Frieda and Jack. "Now that Fran is taken care of I'm going to need to go back to the lab and check on a few things." She said, speaking quietly. "If we _are_ going to remain mortal the rest of our group are going to need to be made aware. Facts need to be gathered."

Koenig sighed, "Go to it but Helena …"

She looked up at him when John hesitated, "Yes?"

"Don't work alone."

She blinked, puzzled.

"Have someone with you at all times, Helena. Someone who is_ not_ a Thulian."

"You're concerned about Cabot Rowland?" she guessed. "I don't …"

"Him and others." Koenig looked away from her, his mind racing. "I keep thinking about that burn on Victor's chest and some things that were said in the Eagle hanger days ago."

"The burn is gone now ... What was said in the hanger?" she asked, curiously.

"Just a few things that did not make sense then. It was before we were aware of our possible mortality. Yet, they were said by men who were not in Jack and Frieda's inner circle … as far as I know." Koenig added, "I know the burn was minor, Helena, and has healed but I've been wracking my mind and it occurred to me I might know what caused it." He met her eyes, "A stun at close range. Our guns don't leave a mark but I wonder if the Thulian's weapons can make the same claim."

"You think they shot Victor? Why?"

"Maybe he discovered something they did not want us to know." Koenig speculated. "I'm not certain but we haven't seen Dr. Keeler for days. When Rowland isn't there Keeler always is. You told me that not long ago. Where has he gone?"

Helena did not think of herself as a conspiracy theorist but what John said made a frightening kind of sense. There had been various Thulian scientists in the lab over the last few days but Keeler was not one of them. "Do you think David Kano would be willing to spend some time in the lab?" she asked. Kano might have been a computer technician, a leader in that area, but she had seen him boxing in Alpha's gymnasium. He was big, muscular and could seem intimidating by those who did not know about his mellow, if faintly scathing, temperament.

"He's busy with computer; calibrating our comlocks and composts. What do you think of Dan Mateo?"

Mateo was one of her last physicals before they left Alpha. "He's a big man and if it wasn't for his sense of humor he would certainly be daunting. Yes John, I would feel safe with him."

"Okay, let me know what you find."

"And John ..." she gently bit her lower lip before suggesting, "Maybe we should have a security guard here, watching over Victor, for a little while."

Koenig understood her fear. There was always a chance Professor Bergman would regain his memory. There might be a contingent who did not want to see that happen. Some of the Thulians were becoming less friendly by the hour. "I'll have Paul get on it."

She watched him turn and exit, a hundred different thoughts on his mind. They had talked months ago, while still on Alpha, and John told her in confidence that he would relish the day when they finally found a home. In his dreams he saw a place where they could all live happily and the pressures on Moonbase Alpha, his unsolicited leadership, would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, the Commander did not look like a man devoid of pressure or problems and she felt for him; more now than ever before.

It was tough seeing the man you loved despondent and suspicious.

* * *

><p>Frieda adjusted the knob, managing to pull up a crystal clear picture from their antiquated monitor. She was determined to ask Commander Koenig if they might be able to borrow one of their newer ports. It would be especially viable now that Station Three's tower was up-righted and, thanks to Alphan ingenuity and materials, more powerful than ever before.<p>

"Do you see it, Frieda?" Jack Tanner whispered anxiously in her ear.

"Jack, I see it." She corroborated, "It's the meteor. It's still fairly far off. But when it comes closer we may be able to learn from it. Perhaps Commander Koenig will even allow us to take one of the Alphan Eagles to investigate."

They had been watching it for two weeks, the rock still so far away, worried because of its girth and how close it was skimming Ultima Thule's position in outer space. Yet, as before, the reading assured the meteor would miss them. There was also a very low probability of it going into orbit around their world. There was nothing to fear.

"Look closer." He urged.

Frieda beheld her lover for a moment, the tenseness in his expression, and a nearly manic zeal in his eyes. This was no mere flight of fancy; no crazed episode. She knew, after so many years of observing his moods, both good and bad, that Jack had another of his psychic visions. It was something important, she was certain, but Frieda also knew Jack wanted her to see it for herself before he told her what he was envisioning.

Again, she adjusted the monitor, attempting to make the picture bigger without losing the quality of image.

Her eyes widened, "That's … that's not a meteor."

"No, it's not." Tanner clapped his hands together and nearly chuckled.

"Jack!" She turned and looked at him, also excited by their discovery. "But how is it possible?"

They heard a scuffle from outside, one of their sentries crying out, and knew their hidden station had been compromised. Frieda and Jack were stunned when Dr. Keeler was brought in, by the scruff of his fur clad neck, by their security team lead by Summerlee. He was tossed in their direction, to be caught and held, barely conscious.

"I was trying to get back to you." Keeler said, a bit feebly. "I was going to report it. Professor Bergman saw it too."

"Yes!" The men at the door of the station parted to allow Cabot Rowland entrance. "It took you a bit longer than my team of experts but I knew you would eventually find it."

Frieda grimaced. She should have known that Dr. Rowland would be three steps in front of them. "They have to know, Cabot!" she said, "We can't keep this a secret. They are a clever people and are bound to find out sooner or later."

"We must stay silent. We need them and what they can offer us. Without the Alphans we are …"

"Doomed?" Tanner asked, nearly sarcastic.

"The word I was looking for was _delayed_." Dr. Rowland, muscular, bold and charismatic as ever asked, "How do you think Commander Koenig and the other Alphans will feel, how will they react, if they find that Moonbase Alpha – _Earth's moon _– is making a return visit to Ultima Thule?!"

* * *

><p><em>(please do not reveal the ending of this story on Facebook or other media. Some are still reading)<em>

_Thank you for the wonderful comments and notes. They are greatly appreciated._

_And no, I am not a professional writer but that comment was incredibly motivating! THANK YOU._

_**To be continued ...**_


	6. Chapter 6

(6)

Their laboratory, to the eyes of a modern day Earth scientist, might not have been overly impressive. Simple four-legged tables replaced professional consoles. Test tubes and vials were hand-blown and imperfect compared to the sleek, faultlessly cylindrical glasses ordered through a specialized supplier. Back on their home planet, and even on Moonbase Alpha, there were computers, licensed equipment and perfected formulas to assist so many magnificent minds gathered together to cure illnesses and/or aid in momentous discoveries.

Still, while their resources were low on Ultima Thule, there was much to be proud of and successes to be admired. The alien know-how brought to Thule by the Alphans, their scavenged paraphernalia, data acquired during their excursion through deep space, had brought a whole new dimension to their personal and planetary growth. Even now, the Thulians and Alphans were benefitting from their collaboration. Soon, more towers would be built or renovated and the power they provided a remarkable asset to the one time Earth peoples everyday living.

However, right now inhabitance of the planet were in the midst of a random struggle. Hours before one of their good monitors, a device Helena had seen Victor and Dr. Keely work on a number of times in the lab, was now malfunctioning. Dr. Rowland said the Thulians were also having problems with their own outdated surveillance equipment. It was a possible circuit over-load that needed correction. The scientists tried many times to get the power source up and running but it simply would not work.

Rowland attributed it to atmospheric conditions. He said, "There are times when Ultima Thule refuses to behave itself. I doubt if Professor Bergman himself could make heads or tails out of the inconsistency that is our home."

Helena thought he sounded much like Jack Tanner during one of his dafter moments. Her eyes suspiciously met Dan Mateo's, curious about the sudden breakdowns, but neither was in a positon to dispute Rowland's claim.

The Alphan's monitor, with all its wires and connectors, was finally taken away to be worked on in a Thulian workshop, the technician promising a return as soon as repair was possible. Meanwhile, both the Alphan and Thulian lab personnel listened to the soft hum and blips, from the main computer terminal, that denoted the meteor Frieda had alluded to a few days ago. The sign-wave was gentle and oddly familiar.

"Dr. Russell, you can't leave. The Commander gave me specific instructions …" Dan Mateo leaned in beside her so the others could not hear.

Helena picked up a test tube filled with a crimson liquid, appearing to examine it with Mateo as she also spoke quietly. "Dan, Frieda Heller is missing. She was supposed to be here nearly two hours ago but she is a no-show. I need to know why."

The Italian pressed, "Then I should go."

"And leave me here alone? Commander Koenig would not be happy with that move either." Dr. Russell retorted, noting a couple Thulian academics behind them. She tried to sound practical, "I think I know where she can be found. You don't." Helena handed him the test tube. "I won't be long." She then added, "Put a drop of M34 in this. If it turns purple after a minute let me know." Helena smiled at his reaction to the change of subject, "Oh, and if the Commander comes in and is angry … Tell him I slipped out while you weren't looking. I'll call you on my comlock in fifteen minutes."

Mateo was about to respond when she moved away. He rolled his eyes as Helena exited the room. 'No,' he thought, cynically. 'That will not get me into trouble at all.' He wanted to go back to the botany cavern, way below the surface, where Laura and the others were missing him. He preferred Dr. Warren's arrogance over Commander Koenig's wrath.

* * *

><p>On Moonbase Alpha, Alan Carter had a reputation as being a hard worker, not tolerating slackers, but fair and friendly to those who operated under his command. A pilot and transport chief, he always took the time to get to know his men and women, their aptitudes and requirements, those who looked to him for guidance. Then, when not working, he spent his off-time participating in any number of activities, including sports, games, conversation and, when the opportunity arose, a rendezvous with pretty and available ladies. In essence, despite his busy schedule, Alan was always certain he made time to relax and have fun. It was important to decompress if he was to keep gloominess and anxiety at a minimum.<p>

However, lately Captain Carter simply had no time to either unwind or be as generous and fair as he would like. As a matter of fact, he found himself snapping at his crewmen more often than listening to their suggestions and complaints. He did not like what he was hearing from his own mouth but was unable to break the cycle of exasperation that had overcome him since stepping foot on their icy home.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with me." Carter admitted to Kel Kelly as the two men conversed in his office on Thule.

Kelly had brought a schematic in, an idea at most, that Alan needed to approve before they did trial testing with transporter Eagle 2-1. Once analysis was complete the Commander would have the final say. "Everyone is on edge." he said. "I found myself barking at Melita for no reason at all yesterday. It's a good thing my wife has an even temper or our conversation could have gotten ugly."

Carter exhaled, feeling rundown. "I thought coming to Ultima Thule would be a slam dunk. We were all going to work with the Uranus Probe crew, do well, and make a success of our lives. Nothing was going to stop us, least of all age and death. It was supposed to be nirvana."

"Not so much?" Kelly inquired, knowing the answer.

Carter snorted a 'no' responds. "I feel like I'm arguing with everyone and failing at my job. Nothing gets done, not to my satisfaction, and my mates …" he indicated some men in the distance, pulling apart a panel on Eagle Three, "— are suffering for it."

"I'm not going to lie, Alan. I've noticed morale taking a beating." Kelly admitted, "We _can_ function in the cold but if we didn't feel like Thulian security was breathing down out necks every second of the day it might get better."

Carter nodded and grunted. He signed off half-heartily on the schematic. While the tension was not as thick as it was before Koenig came in to straighten matters out, the Thulians still appeared resolute in make the Alphans in Carter's department feel like underlings. "I used to work a lot closer with the Commander too. We need to talk." Alan picked the paperwork up and handed it over to Kelly. There wasn't anything they could not do on Alpha if he had Koenig's participation and backing. Unfortunately, the Commander was also feeling the pressure to over-preform and his visits to their hanger were few and far between. Hunting him down was easier now that comlock communication had been acquired but Carter did not want to call his Commander every time he had a question or grievance.

He hated to admit it but Alan – as he watched Kelly leave his office – wished he had listened with an open mind when John Koenig asked for his support before coming down to Ultima Thule. The Commander was never keen on the Alphans living on this frozen wasteland and it was that profound sense, a sort of enigmatic perception that saved the Alphans lives more than once during their outer space journey.

Carter sat back in his chair, fingers laced and hands on the back of his head, and he closed his eyes. It wasn't often he had moments of relaxation but, for a time, he was going to savor it until the next bought of infighting or needless direction was required. Alan's peace was short lived when he heard an odd sound coming from his office monitor. His was one of the few functioning consoles on the ice planet and he suspected it was because their hanger was so much closer to Thule's surface. Alan still received interference because of the turbulent weather patterns but determined the surface winds must have calmed long enough for a signal to reach them from the unfathomable depths of space.

He sat up suddenly as recognition overcame him. "No way." He whispered, attempting to tune-in the peculiar pinging which reminded him of the fearful, adventurous days of his youth – only a few short months ago on Moonbase Alpha.

* * *

><p>She wandered with purpose through the quiet caverns.<p>

However, before she left Alpha sector completely to crossover into the Thulian caves Helena spotted Sandra and told her where she was going. The data analyst did not look content but understood. Helena never quite answered her question, appearing almost annoyed, when Sandra asked her if the Commander had been notified; first Mateo and now Sandra. She was a big girl and a commander in her own right. Did she _have_ to get permission for every move she made?

Still, Helena understood the need for security and relented. "I won't be that long." She said and tapped her comlock. Helena had tied a rope around her waist in a belt-like fashion and the instrument dangled slightly off her hip, hidden by her long vest. She then moved on.

Honestly, Helena did not know why she felt the need to advise Sandra in the first place. After all, Mateo already knew where she was going. Still, as safe as she felt with the square jawed botanist, there was something about Dan Mateo that made Helena nervous. She could not pin point what it was. He was a good man, maybe a bit stubborn and conceited, but he had a clear thinking head on his shoulders. There was just something mysterious or even a little sinister about Dan Mateo, she thought guiltily, although he had never given her reason to judge him as so.

She shook her head when recalling that her grandmother, dead years ago, said she had the gift of a second sight. Little Helena did not really understand what she meant. After all, if she had such a gift why was she not able to predict something as important as her mother's seizure the year before? "It's a sense. Follow it, Helena." Grandmother had insisted. As she grew, Helena did use her perception as instructed. It helped her during long nights of studying medicine and, she suspected, brought her Lee Russell during a time when she needed his strength and care. Then, after he left her, it brought Helena to Moonbase Alpha.

Suddenly, something else clicked in Helena's mind. Her grandmother, on her death bed, told young Helena, "One day, my dear, you will partake in a wondrous journey. Do not ever question it. Take it for what it is; what it offers, and know your impact will be immeasurably significant …"

Helena gulped a little as she entered into the caves of the Revered Ones. It was still morning and she wondered if Frieda and Jack had been late do to the feeding or bathing their friends. She saw the men and women meandering, eyes vacant, as they slowly moved from one end of the cave to the next.

She could not help but feel sorrow and some anxiety. She would never forget Victor standing in one of the booths, allowing himself to be experimented on for the sake of a science none of them truly understood, but were blindly willing to partake in. Then John pulled him out of the clear cabinet, telling them what he knew, and it was quite a blow – despite her objections. Helena now knew she had been foolish in not just allowing it to happen but in taking Dr. Rowland's side when she knew what he was proposing was potentially dangerous for them all. She was a woman who prided herself on an above average intellect but, in that instance, she had been a failure to John, her people and herself.

Perhaps Monica and Fran were not so far off in their estimation that they should have a better doctor.

Even now Helena wondered why she felt the need to force the issue. Why did she need to prove John wrong when all he was doing was what he always did … He was a commander protecting his people. More to the point, he was saving a friend from a very bleak future. Then, she was not entirely certain John knew what he was talking about but now, having seen the light, Helena wondered how her Commander and potential lover could have ever allowed his people to walk all over him as they did.

"We will make it work." he had said. "Now, we have to."

_'No Grandma,'_ she thought, _'I have no second sight. But perhaps our Commander does.'_

Something gently bumped into Helena and she looked at the woman by her side. She appeared lost, as they all did, but Helena also saw something interesting. The woman was actually making eye contact with her. Helena reached over and touched her cheek, "Are you all right?" she asked the woman. She did not speak but the eyes did shift in their sockets. Curious, Helena brought her over to a stone bench with a torch close by and sat her down, attempting to get a better look. Helena knew her, had examined her over a months ago. This was Isobel Rowland, Cabot's wife. Even now, in the state she was in, Helena could see a once intelligent woman with beauty and breeding. Her auburn hair had lost its dazzle and her shoulders were slightly slumped but Helena could picture what she must once have been. She was a proud, tall and clever woman who found her glory in not just being selected to go on the Uranus Expedition but also attending with her much beloved husband.

"It was our dream." He said, "Both of us."

Startled, Helena looked over to where Dr. Rowland stood in the cut-out entrance from one of the inner caves. She did not allow her trepidation show as she uttered, "You must have been devastated when …" She looked from Cabot to Isobel who now looked blankly up at the rocky ceiling.

"We were so certain we had the formula right." He came over to the bench and sat on the other side of Isobel, taking one of her hands. "No matter what Jack Tanner told you, the sacrifices we made never left me unaffected. She was the worst."

"But you let her do it."

"We are scientists first and foremost. She _wanted_ to do it and I at first objected, as I did when Jack Tanner took a turn. But it was not up to me to deny Isobel her moment of glory. Had I but known …"

Helena recalled Jack telling a slightly different story about how Isobel became a Revered One, how Cabot had egged her on, but she kept silent. Instead, as they watched the woman stand and wander off, she asked. "You came here to visit Isobel and her friends today?"

"I come every day." Rowland said, "I've been advised to move on but it's difficult."

Helena nodded but felt unsure when he scooted slightly closer to her.

"Why have you come, Helena?"

"To find Frieda." She spoke honestly and thought she felt Cabot stiffen ever so slightly beside her, "She was going to help me in the lab this morning but never showed. I thought she might be here, tending to your companions."

"Oh yes, Frieda." Rowland cleared his throat a bit and turned to look at Helena, "She and Jack Tanner will be away for a while. They've gone to one of our caves in the south east corner of the catacombs. They told me it was something about examining and measuring an atmospheric anomaly. I'm certain they will eventually come back and report their findings to us as well as you Alphans."

"That was rather sudden." Helena commented then added, "I take it Dr. Keely is also there?"

Rowland looked flummoxed for a moment then nodded, "Yes, Dr. Keely as well."

"Perhaps we can send someone to help."

"That is kind of you, Helena, but it is not at all needed. They will not be gone that long and once all of the information is amassed ..."

_'__He's stalling.'_ Helena thought but played dumb. "I see." She stood and smiled up at Dr. Rowland when he did the same. "I suppose I'll return to the lab then." She felt Rowland take her arm as he gently yet purposefully escorted her to the mouth of the cave, the way she had come in.

"But do come back, Helena." He said at the opening, "I would like to talk with you about a more pressing personal issue."

"Personal?" Her brow crinkled, "Such as?"

Gently, he lifted a hand and touched her cheek.

Helena was stunned by how cold his touch was.

"You are a brilliant, beautiful and - I think - underappreciated woman. One day I would like to show you just how necessary you are in a world of ice and snow, where a man needs a woman for warmth and pleasure … and love."

"Cabot …" Helena stepped back a little, attempting to be tactful as his hand fell away. "… I _do_ have that. More than you know."

"In the Commander?"

She said nothing which was an answer in itself.

* * *

><p>Professor Bergman paced. While still in the Medicare and wearing his pajamas topped off with a heavier fleece coat, he never the less was up and moving, as he often did in the lab, studying the printouts in his hands. They made no sense. The use of computer, brought down from Moonbase Alpha during their exodus, made what he suspected feasible – but still highly unlikely. He had a theory as implausible as it was and he needed to speak with John Koenig. If for no other reason Victor needed to have his friend tell him he was crazy and in need of more bed rest; possibly even psychiatric care.<p>

"Professor."

He heard a call from across the Medicare and smiled when Fran Switzer waved to him, calling him over. "How are you feeling today?" he asked her. He noticed the woman's complexion and color was much better than yesterday and she now sat up in bed. The mere act of crossing her legs had been agony for her yesterday.

"Better." Her gentle smile lessened, "I'm rather embarrassed." Fran touched her stomach and looked sheepishly at Victor, "No reflection on Dr. Mathias, but do you think Dr. Russell would accept my apology and agree to be my doctor through-out the rest of my pregnancy?"

"Why ask me?"

"You are her friend – and know her so well. " Fran licked her lips, "I was so angry and said some terrible things to her."

"What changed your mind? The surgery?"

"Partly." Fran sighed, and patted her belly. "I just wasn't counting on this but it's not her fault. Henry and I were practicing birth control but he confessed to me yesterday, when he visited, that he wasn't prepared – hadn't updated his own implant - and relied entirely on my IUD – which I allowed to lapse."

"Maybe you should tell Dr. Russell this. She will listen."

Fran rolled her eyes, "I can't even get her to stop by my bedside. She always veers away when she's in here, which is not that often anymore."

"Can you blame her? After all, it was you and Monica who pushed for that proviso."

"No … No, I don't blame her. I now realize what a truly great doctor she is and how what Monica and I did was inexcusable. I never really felt threatened by her and always trusted Dr. Russell while on Alpha. Maybe it's hormones." Fran smiled for the first time and looked up at the equally amused Bergman.

Victor saw an opportunity to help Helena and seized it. "Why don't I speak with her, tell her you are willing to say who the father is of your child …" Victor lifted a finger in warning when Fran appeared ready to interrupt. "Then you can apologize when she comes to get the information. I'll tell her you will only speak to her, a woman, because it's a very personal matter."

"What if she declines?"

"I don't think she will. And if she does at least you will know."

Fran exhaled and nodded. "Okay Professor. We'll do it your way."

"Good, now get some sleep. You have healing to do."

"I might say the same for you." She said, scrunching down in her bed and pulling the cover up to her chin.

"I'll rest too after I make a couple calls." Victor drew the curtain around Fran's bed then proceeded to his own. His aid, Aaron, brought him a comlock this morning and Victor was pleased to see progress had been made. He was about to touch the tab to call Helena when both Commander Koenig and Alan Carter entered into the Medicare. "John." Victor exclaimed, surprised to see both men at once.

"Victor, we know you need rest but we need your opinion." Koenig said laying a slim recorder that had been pulled from the hanger office console onto his bed tray. Koenig punched a key and the men listened to the same familiar pinging Alan had heard only an hour before.

"I recorded this sound around ten AM." he said.

"Today?" Victor asked, to be certain.

Alan nodded.

He leaned in then turned the sound down slightly, looking at both men, "It sounds like Moonbase Alpha's navigational signal." He replied with no hesitation. "But it's possible with all our salvaged equipment here we are reading it from somewhere on Thule."

Alan shook his head negatively. "Professor, our sensors are not trained on Ultima Thule. They're pointed into outer space. Whatever that signal is – it's not coming from this planet."

"What do you think it means?" Bergman asked and was not surprised that neither man said what they were pondering. "Perhaps this will make it easier." He lifted a stack of papers, readouts from his research since before his stay in the Medicare. He patted them. "I agree with you both. I think it's Alpha. "I don't know how it's possible but it's out there and close."

"But it left us so long ago!" Alan blinked, having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea.

"The moon should be in the outer reaches of the galaxy by now." Koenig added.

"I can't begin to understand either." Victor confessed, "My memory is still fuzzy but I do recall, when I heard a meteor was headed in our direction, that I did some research. Finally, I saw the meteor, still a long distance away, and it looked amazingly like our moon in mass and configuration."

Koenig could not help a small thoughtful smile, "Victor you once told me that ultimately we belong where we belong. Maybe we never really belonged on Thule and Alpha has returned because, here and now, that is where we belong."

It was not very scientific but, they came to understand, deep space had a science all its own.

There was silence between the men for a moment.

Finally Alan said, "What we have to ask ourselves is does the Uranus Probe crew know about this – and if they do _why_ haven't they told us?"

"They need us." Victor offered.

Koenig was about to reply when Dan Mateo, in a rush, appeared at the Medicare door, his expression appearing both urgent and nervous.

"Commander!" he exclaimed, "Dr. Russell left me well over an hour ago. I know she had her comlock with her and it was functioning but now she's not answering. I fear something might have happened to her!"

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued ….<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

(7)

"The moon is returning?" Paul Morrow and the rest of the Alphans stood in front of their Commander in the common room. They knew when Koenig announced on their comlocks that he wanted to have an urgent meeting with all Alphans straightaway, that something out of the ordinary must have happened – but this was inconceivable! Paul's hands were slightly raised, attempting to get his bearings, as he looked from an equally stunned Sandra and Tanya, then back to their leader. "How?"

Koenig stood on a landing with Carter, Dr. Mathias and Victor Bergman. The Professor was wearing a warm coat over his thick pajamas. "Don't ask me _how_, Paul, or why because I can't give you an answer. It's unimaginable that such a thing has happened but it has." Koenig spoke loud enough for all his people to hear, "But be assured that it is confirmed. We just came from the lab where a new monitor was quickly replaced and fine-tuned by Kano. We saw our moon crystal clear on the screen. It will be in range sometime in the next forty eight hours." Koenig further explained how, for quite some time, they were receiving familiar signals from what they thought a random asteroid or comet but never suspected it was Alpha until a short time ago.

"How long will Alpha be in range when it gets here?" Tanya asked, holding one hand with the other, expression dazed but curiously eager.

Victor answered, "We are working on that. Anywhere from four days to a week depending on its velocity when it comes near." He paused a moment then said, "But we have a question for all of you."

Koenig looked from his friend and nodded. He had to ask and his people needed to know their options. "Some of us are thinking we should return to Moonbase Alpha."

A quiet murmur came from the assembly.

"We left Alpha to come here." Morrow said, more curious than baited by the statement. "Has something changed? Why would we want to go back?"

Koenig paused, anticipating the disappointment to come. "We are _not_ going to become immortal. If we stay we will live and die here on Ultima Thule and, because of the arctic conditions, our losses might be sooner than if we return to Alpha." Once again, Koenig remembered how he never felt warm here until he held Helena in his arms. He gulped without detection. He could not think of her right now.

_ "__Not immortal?"_

_"__What?"_

_"__I don't understand!"_

The disheartened murmurs sounded like the low drum of buzzing bees in a large active hive.

Dr. Mathias stepped forward, "Our latest series of blood labs confirms it. We are not changing. Originally, we thought it was merely a slower process on us do to our previous living conditions on Alpha, having travelled so long through deep space. But it is simply is not happening. We are not acclimatizing. We are not altering."

Carter added, "We are as human and mortal as the day we were born and we're going to stay that way."

Victor, hating to be the bearer of further bad news, added another discouraging punch, "I have been running tests of my own. Thule's atmosphere, even the food this planet produces, was never meant to be inhabited and consumed by corporeal humans. During early experimentation I believed we found a vitamin enriched soil and a plant fiber that would suit our needs. It seemed to do very well for a good period of time but soon, as much as we attended it, our plants died. It turned poisonous. Our vegetation and soy is down by a quarter – and it will only get worse."

Koenig felt for his friend, the joy he experienced while showing off his scientific skill with the plants in his lab. Until Hydroponics introduced their own unsatisfactory readings to the Commander, a couple days ago, none of them had a clue they were in such dire straits. It was almost as if the closer their moon came to Thule the worse there situation was becoming. Perhaps some cosmic intelligence was trying to tell them something.

"Commander, do you think Dr. Rowland and the others knew this?" Pam Rose asked, moving forward, her tone wary. "Could they have anticipated that we would not turn immortal and eventually our food sources would dwindle?"

"They wanted Thule to be as appealing as possible." Koenig knew he had to be as honest as he could with his people, "They need us, our technology and manpower. I believe they are as anxious as us and want life to return; children to once again be born and adapt. They took a gamble at our expense but …" he let it linger.

The Thulians wanted to see normalcy; wanted to see men and women live and die. They longed for children to roam their caves. Sadly, if their calculations were correct and there was no reason to believe they were wrong, normalcy was not going to happen on Ultima Thule. The Thulians gamble did not pay off.

"They deceived us." Sandra's voice was firm, "It wasn't just our technology and the possibility of children that drove them. The Thulians also wanted us here to so they could continue their experiments. We know about the Revered Ones, how Dr. Rowland and his people destroyed their minds in the name of research. They planned on doing the same to us, didn't they Commander?"

Koenig was slightly stunned by the vehemence in her voice. Sandra was usually the picture of compromise; always so gentle and tolerant. However, like her Commander, she had been suspicious from the first moment the Thulians invited the Alphans to come live on their world; just a nagging feeling that something was not right. "I cannot say for certain." He admitted but nodded ever so slightly to show Sandra he agreed even if he could not say so publicly.

"Of course. It makes sense now." Kelly stepped forward. "We've seen their security, the weapons they carry, and the arrogance they've displayed." He met Carter's eyes on the landing, "Captain Summerlee has all but told us our Eagle fleet belongs to them. And now we know why. Once we Alphans die off the Thulians will take over. They're immortal and can do whatever they want with what we've left behind - once we're gone. Is there any wonder they don't want us creating land vehicles when they've never needed them? They have their own agenda and plan to use our Eagles and technology for their own purposes."

"But the children … There will be replacements." someone called from the back.

"If they live!" Monica Darzi stood beside Tanya. Automatically eyes looked upon her not yet expanding belly. "Yes, if our babies live they will be sickly children on Thule and, if they manage to conceive as adults, our descendent will be easily manipulated by the Thulians." Both hands now protectively lay on her abdomen, "I don't want my child to become the victim of a ... a gestapo!"

The grumble in the common-room intensified.

"It's not _all_ of them." Koenig reminded, "There is a contingent of powerful men and women who are on our side. If we all agree to return to the moon they will help us." When the men and women hushed, he said – "But we are in the same situation as when we came here. Perhaps a few of us could live here on Thule and survive. By some quirk of the universe some might become immortal, although that now seems highly unlikely, but we need a majority vote as we did on Alpha. Our moonbase cannot run without all its experts."

"So we need to make up our minds." Alan said, his tone like steel. "A new vote. Are we staying here on the ice planet or going back to Alpha, where we will have a chance at a new and more inviting home near the millions of stars in outer space?" And where, Carter thought a bit self-indulgently, he and his pilots would be able to fly again.

There was still much to think and talk about. If the vote took them back to Moonbase Alpha they would once again need to seize all they brought to Thule – and more. How were the Thulians going to react to such abandonment? Could a costly war break out between the Alphans and Thulians?

The Commander tried to concentrate on the questions and considerations being tossed out by his people but it was becoming difficult to concentrate. He could not stop thinking of the other pressing matter resting heavily on his mind; Helena's disappearance. He had sent Mateo and some men to find her and planned to go through the Thulian caves himself after this meeting.

If anything happened to Helena, if she came to harm, Rowland and all those involved would suffer. Their immortality, he vowed, would not save them!

* * *

><p>In her dream she heard shouting, her mother and father quarreling again about the house-calls he made for the people in their low-rent apartment building; those who could not possibly pay him properly for services rendered. As a child she hunkered under the covers, pulling them up to her nose, until the barks turned into heated whispers and somewhere a door was eventually slammed shut. But this time her parents were into mid battle when voices faded.<p>

A more recent dream, or perhaps it was a memory, encroached and Helena recalled walking twenty paces, a hand lifted to gently touch and swipe the cool tunnel wall that connected the Alphans common room with that of the Thulian tunnels. She then turned, looking once again at the cavern opening behind her, where Dr. Cabot Roland had stood and wished her well. He was not there now and Helena felt relief and the need to return. Something was not adding up. If what Cabot said was true Frieda and Jack would have found a way of communicating with her or John.

She knew he was hiding something and commonsense warned Helena to find her Commander and tell him what she had learned. But it wasn't enough. She needed more information; Helena would be going to John with a _feeling_ rather than hard facts. He, all of them, deserved more from her investigation than tedious guess-work.

Helena pulled the comlock from her belt as she carefully retraced steps on the somewhat slick ground. She pressed a button but the screen was distorted. She wanted to let Mateo know she was well and would be returning shortly. While the comlock service in their own caves was good, practically without fault, the Uranus Probe section was obviously still fraught with problems. Despite the advanced tools and equipment the Alphans brought them, the Thulians seemed slow or even reluctant to implement their new hardware. Perhaps, while time was a fleeing thing to the still unadjusted Alphans, the Thulians had learned over many hundreds of years to take everything – including their workload - at an easier pace. One day, Helena thought, their people might have to adapt to this way of thinking as well.

Returning the comlock to her rope-belt Helena reentered the cave and was grateful when she saw no one near except the Revered Ones who, as usual, walked or hobbled slowly from place to place. She began to move further in when Helena was once again bumped into by the shuffling Isobel Rowland. The doctor touched her shoulder gently, an unnecessary reassurance, and almost moved on. She saw the darkened tunnel that would take her to a small conference room - the one where she and John conversed in with Frieda and Jack days ago, when it suddenly occurred to Helena that Isobel's appearance was not just coincidence.

They had both been here before, colliding, and Helena had been aware of sort of brief awareness the first time. Here it was again. Isobel was making eye contact. _Purposely_, she thought. Helena took the woman by the arm and led her over to the same bench she and Cabot had sat on ten minutes earlier. "Can you understand me?" she asked.

The woman did not respond but her eyes never left Helena's, barely shifting in their sockets. Jack Tanner had recovered his mind, even with his occasional lapses, and it had seemed a miracle; 'An aberration' Dr. Rowland had called it. Helena looked about at all the scuffling men and women around her. Perhaps they all had the potential to recuperate given time and special attention.

The rebels of Thule were right. Instead of working on spaceships and espousing theories on their immortality the Thulians should have been paying attention to their own, using science and medicine to treat their people. Helena could truly appreciate Jack and Frieda's anger and resentment. Their unwell deserved so much more than to be forgotten.

Dr. Russell heard something in the distance, sounding as if it was coming from a radio or some other automated device. She left Isobel and quietly followed the reverberation. There was an electronic trilling, sounding so familiar, but also a voice. _Ethereal_ was the only way Helena could describe it. Helena could not understand the words, she was too far away, but someone or something was calling out. Then, when she came to the opening and looked inside, gazing at what the sitting Thulians were immersed in, her eyes widened. She could see what they saw and hear the voice plainly …

With an indrawn breath, feeling a swish of air behind her, consciousness was lost and Helena was falling into strong arms.

"Please wake up."

The voice was female and, for a moment, Helena thought it was the same woman who was calling out from the display.

Her eyes opened, the fog lifting, and she found herself looking up at friendly but concerned faces. Frieda, Jack and two others, appearing vaguely familiar, stood behind them. Dr. Russell sat up slowly, placing a hand to the side of her head, brushing hair away from her face, feeling a little dizzy. "What happened?" she asked.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Jack said, kneeling now by her side.

Helena was sitting on the ground, on a plush fur, in a medium sized room with a small crystal pit in the distance.

"You were brought in unconscious and the only thing Captain Summerlee said was that _our_ type breeds audacity." Frieda came to Helena's other side and both she and Jack took an arm, helping her to stand. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Helena nodded and looked about the room. "I saw and heard something I shouldn't, I suppose." When they first arrived on Ultima Thule, she and the other Alphans had been taken through the caves, shown room after room, but this chamber was completely new to Helena. She saw no light source but the crystals about them, stuck in walls and laying on desks, seemed to glow with an inner luminescence. It was strange and oddly beautiful. "Where are we?"

"The outskirts; where man or beast dare not explore. An igloo." Jack whispered.

"He's right." Frieda said, "We are far away from the main caves and caverns, yours and ours. It's a shelter area where we do scientific research. We are quite closed off from all the others."

Even with the crystals it was uncomfortably cold and Helena moved closer to the pit, warming her hands.

Jack Tanner said, "This is our prison because we dared to be too inquisitive and independent."

Helena reached into that part of herself that felt loyalty and love for her people and a single man with whom she had unrelenting confidence. "John Koenig will find us. He will get us out of here."

"I hope you're right." Frieda said, concerned as she watch her shiver.

Although she did not know it, Helena was facing a time crisis. Not only was the cold unhealthy for her mortal body but – ultimately - the Alphans were going to return to the moon, their home away from home. If she was not found and flown to the moon in five days Helena Russell would never see her people, her home, or the man she loved, ever again.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued.<strong>

_Slightly shorter chapter this time because I did not want you to wait any longer. __One or two more chapters to go and we're finished. Thank you for all you wonderful comments and input. It's tremendously helpful and I appreciate it! Becky_


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